We wrapped up the year in fine fashion with a number of end of year celebrations, continuations, recognitions, and graduations. Through it all our Viking staff stayed focused on providing our students with the best educational opportunities possible.

Our kindergarten students were recognized during their graduation ceremony which took place on May 20. Students walked across the bridge to signify their transition from kindergarten to first grade. It was fun to hear their goals for future careers which included becoming doctors, teachers, pastry chefs and ninjas! It was a fantastic celebration for our students and families.

Not to be outdone, our fifth graders held their continuation ceremony the following day. Our fifth grade students were recognized for a variety of classroom awards from Ms. Long, Mr.Sizoo-Roberson, Miss Bromley and Mrs. Jackson. Staff put together a fun slideshow for everyone to enjoy that highlighted the events of the school year. 

Throughout the week, learning continued in all buildings and at all levels across the district. Students in Mrs. Evans and Lambert’s classes presented their science fair projects to their classmates. Projects ranged from elephant toothpaste, car challenges with student-built racecars, walking water rainbows, catapults, mold comparisons, compost, daisies and crystals. It was impressive to see the different experiments that were conducted, the students’ hypotheses, and the overall conclusions drawn from the results of the experiments— science in action at Haskin Elementary!

Our students also had the opportunity for some real-world learning experiences. Third grade students in Ms. Armenta’s and Crowder’s classes held a real-life market day. Students advertised and sold their wares to classmates, teachers and community members. Students were able to negotiate, make transactions, and count back money to their patrons. They used real money and all of the money raised through this project was donated to a local animal shelter.

Mr. Hagan had students present their Kickstarter campaign projects. This was a culminating lesson that had students take on the roles of entrepreneurs and create proposals that they presented at the Kickstarter conference. Students developed multi-faceted apps to meet the needs of their customers, wrote letters to investors, and presented to possible clients. It was a real-world lesson that made the content they were learning in English class relevant to the real world.

Eighth grade students wrapped up their middle school career on May 23 with their continuation ceremony. Ms. Donaldson was the speaker for the ceremony and she gave students a survival kit that included support and advice for their future endeavors. The 23rd was the last day for students and staff finished up the following day. We held our end-of-the-year lunch celebration and had the opportunity to recognize staff that were leaving the district and also our retirees.

 
Perfecta Guadiana and Cheryl Garcia have been fixtures in the library for over 20 years. They have taught our students the love of reading and been an ongoing support for staff. We will definitely miss their presence, but we are grateful for the years they served our students and community.

Mr. Mike Phillips has been our transportation director for over 20 years. He has led our district with our transportation needs, ensuring that our students are commuted safety to and from school and to all of our extra-curricular events. He followed in his father’s footsteps and the Center School District has been privileged to have a Phillips in the transportation department for many years. We are thankful for all of their years of service.