Salisbury Academy students, faculty, staff and family members gathered recently for the eighth-grade graduation ceremony.
“Graduation is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s especially meaningful because Salisbury Academy is such a family and our students and families have spent so much time together over the years,” said Head of School Diane Fisher.
Eighteen students graduated this year, bringing the total alumni to more than 230 over the past 20 years.
During the graduation ceremony, Middle School Division Director Heather Coulter, who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade language arts, addressed each of the eighth-grade students individually, recognizing their personal achievements. “Each of our students is special and important to us; we want to acknowledge how proud we are of them and how much we care for each of them,” she said.
Valedictorian Sharmi Amin addressed her class about the memories they created together. “As I was reflecting back on my experience at Salisbury Academy, I realize that I no longer measure my time based on the passing years, but on the memories I have acquired and enjoyed,” she said. “Salisbury Academy is one of the best things that has happened to me, from the important lessons we have learned, to the incredible memories we will forever cherish, and the amazing teachers who have helped guide us into being the people we are today.”
Salutatorian Jenny Kribbs also shared memories and provided words of encouragement to her fellow graduates. “I strongly encourage you to pursue your dreams. We are a class that is very intelligent, determined, and have the ability to do anything we set our mind to doing. I know some of you want to be professional athletes, doctors, hair stylists, actresses and other career aspirations. I strongly believe that you will be able to do any of these things if you set your mind to it, try your hardest, and never ever give up.”
Isabella Alvarez, Thomas Cummings and Michael Hughes will attend Gray Stone Day School. Carter Cook will attend Forsyth Country Day School. Jordan McCall will attend East Rowan High School. Morgan Warren will attend Jesse C. Carson High School. Katie White will attend Rowan-Cabarrus Early College Program. Samantha Pritchard will attend North Rowan High School. Sharmi Amin, Juliana Anderson, Steven Anderson, Ruth Clement, Marcus Corry, Madison Day, Andrew Kalogeromitros, Jenny Kribbs, Abby Lee and Jaelan McClellan will attend Salisbury High School.
Samantha Pritchard received this year’s Middle School Citizenship Award. The award is meaningful because every middle school student submits an essay on his or her selected candidate, describing the character traits qualifying that person for the award.
The Athlete of the Year award is given to a female and male student who have exhibited superior athleticism and ability across multiple sports and whose performance, spirit and character inspired their team to excel. This year’s award went to Juliana Anderson and Marcus Corry. Abby Lee and Carter Cook earned the Jaguar Award, given to the student who has consistently demonstrated all-around athletic ability, dedication and love of the game. The Sportsmanship Award went to Ruth Clement and Andrew Kalogeromitros. This award is presented to the student who best represents Salisbury Academy ideals through sportsmanship, fair play and endeavor.
Salisbury Academy announces its all-A honor roll for fourth quarter:
Fifth grade — Roshen Amin, Dominic Capito, Caitlin Hattaway, Jessica Jensen, Mitch Jeter, Marshall Overcash and Chad van der Poel.
Sixth grade — Annabel Barr, Sarah Clifton, Zach Johnson and Ellen Simons.
Seventh grade — Maria Capito, Adam Drye, Lizzie Fisher, Alyssa Kennedy, Anna Louise Lewis, Ivy Overcash and Isabel Temple.
Eighth grade — Isabella Alvarez, Sharmi Amin, Juliana Anderson, Carter Cook, Andrew Kalogeromitros, Jenny Kribbs, Samantha Pritchard and Morgan Warren.