SHARON — Eleven students in the Sharon Center School Class of 2024 graduated from the eighth grade in a commerce exercise ceremony held on Wednesday, June 12.
Welcomed by Sharon Center School Principal Carol Tomkalski, who took over the role as successor to Principal Karen Manning in 2022, parents and family in attendance watched as students were honored for their achievements and took their first steps toward high school.
Eighth-grader Mira Landry Norbet, whose speech opened the ceremony, was awarded The President’s Award for Academic Excellence, the top scholarly award for the school which ranked for her overall scholastic achievement. By far the most awarded student, however, was Jayden Michael Milton, who took home five awards, including The Sharon Center School Cup Award, the highest honor at the school. This award was presented to Jayden by past recipient Finn Cousins, who won the school cup in 2020 and is now a graduating senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
Eighth-grade class speaker Zaira Celso-Cristobal gave a heartfelt speech reflecting on times she had struggled and failed, remarking that she found encouragement by remembering when she first came to Sharon Center School. “Wouldn’t that little girl with long black hair and a ‘Sofia The First’ backpack be proud of all she would come to accomplish?” She also thanked her parents, saying, “We are often asked who we look up to, or who is our hero, and I would say, my mom because she cooks, or my dad because he works. But not only do they do that, they’ve sacrificed so much for me, and made sure I don’t have to live the life they did. I have an education, a roof over my head, clean clothes, and unconditional love.”
