(classical music)
- Welcome everyone to the 2020
Walter R. Sundling Junior High
School virtual graduation.
It is my honor and
privilege as the principal
of Walter R. Sundling Junior High School
of Community Consolidated
School District 15 in Palatine,
to recognize the graduating class of 2020.
Although we may not all be together
in a high school gymnasium,
we are together in spirit
and years worth of memories,
with many more yet to be created.
So, although this is different,
and feels different, please
know that we are grateful
for the opportunity to
have a wonderful ceremony
that recognizes the hard work
and accomplishments of our eighth graders.
I wanna take a moment on
behalf of this graduating class
of 2020 to thank superintendent
Dr. Laurie Heinz,
members of the District Cabinet,
and our Board of Education.
I wanna thank the teachers and the staff
of Walter R. Sundling Junior High School
for their dedication and
commitment to the social
and academic growth for all
of our students at school.
But in particular this eighth
grade graduating class.
This staff has been there
since the seventh grade
Walk Your Schedule in August of 2018,
through our recent distance learning,
and of course, tonight's virtual event,
to help nurture and help them grow
and to develop them into young adults.
Helping to find success academically,
socially, and emotionally.
They have challenged our
students, questioned our students,
and pushed their limits to
help them be their best,
even when it may have
felt like their worst.
Thank you, Sundling teachers and staff,
for all that you do.
A few staff members wanted
to share some memories
to commemorate this eighth grade class
during their time at Sundling.
"I ran across my friends
T-shirt that the staff wore
"the first weeks of school,
"and I can't help but
think of the phrase on it,
"we'll be there for you.
"Which actually turned out
to be a very fitting way
"to describe how this year turned out."
From Mrs. Prebil our school nurse.
"When the eighth grade volleyball team
"came back to win the
Consolation Championship
"at the Sweetheart Tournament.
"This group of girls has grown so much
"as a team and individuals
"and pulled it together for a fun win,
"jokes, effort, smiles,
in the fun best feeling."
Mrs. Mogilinski, eighth
grade teacher and coach.
"Mine was watching the
wrestling team stick together
"and grow as a group during the season.
"Also during the play watching the cast
"add some really funny bits
to "Dirk Smirk, Secret Agent."
"Both the wrestlers and
the play were fearless
"in their pursuit of improvement.
"They went from being groups
with similar interests
"to being a team and a cast.
"Both groups will be in my
memory for a long time to come.
"Go get 'em in high school."
Mr. Young, seventh
grade teacher and coach.
"My favorite memory from this year
"was the staff versus
students basketball game.
"It was really fun to work
with my colleagues on the court
"and of course, beat the students."
Mrs. Fay, eighth grade teacher.
Also one of my favorite memories.
"My favorite memory from this
year is my first period class
"dancing and singing along to
"'The NeverEnding Story' theme
song every Friday morning."
Miss Russo, eighth grade teacher.
I wanna take a moment to thank
our wonderful and supportive WRS PTA
and the parents and the families
of this graduating class,
for putting your trust in
us over the past two years,
and for developing morals and values
for your children to live by.
Thank you for your support, flexibility,
and understanding over the past few years.
And of course, most recently,
with distance learning.
Getting your child out of bed,
making sure that your child
checked in daily and completed their work.
Oh, and also, thank you
for the help with math,
or at least trying to.
I know the feeling.
Continue to be strong,
a strong support system
as they prepare for high school
and a set of new
challenges that await them.
It is more important now than ever before.
It is common to hear the phrase,
it's a great day to be a
Palatine around our building.
And even more recently, Sundling Strong.
These phrases encompass many
things for our students,
both inside and outside of the school.
They are not only slogans,
but how we move through our day.
Whether an academic
scholar, a math teacher,
an athlete, a fine arts
student, a program assistant,
a club participant, and
more, it doesn't matter.
It has a different meaning for each person
that enters the doors of our school,
but one thing remains the same.
These phrases focus on putting
forth your best effort,
representing your school, being kind,
perseverance and
resilience, and making sure
that each day is a great
day no matter what.
So even as you leave junior high
and move on to the high school,
never forget these phrases,
take them with you,
because you will always be a Palatine.
I wanna thank everyone for
joining us in celebration
of this great graduating
eighth grade class.
I wish that we could all be together.
I wish that I could shake the
hands of all of our graduates.
I wish I could say
graduates, please stand,
and graduates please sit.
Although we cannot be together tonight,
there will be plenty of
opportunities to connect
and celebrate together in the future.
Maybe through a high school graduation,
a college graduation, a new job,
or a number of other
accomplishments, minor or major.
Whatever it might be, and
wherever it might happen,
this group of students should
always find time to celebrate.
They deserve it.
You will always be a Palatine
and we will always be here
to celebrate with you.
Congratulations and the best
of luck to all of our graduates
on your future endeavors.
It's a great day to be a Palatine.
- Hello, I'm Dr. Laurie Heinz,
the proud superintendent
of school district 15.
It is my honor and pleasure today
to congratulate you, the
students of the class of 2020,
as you graduate, albeit
virtually, from eighth grade.
It is one of many milestones
you will face as teenagers,
and I hope you are equal
parts proud and excited
about this right of passage.
While I am sure this
is not how you expected
your graduation to take place,
and that the uncertainties we face today
might seem to put a little
damper on your accomplishments,
I want to share with you one
thing that I am certain of,
and that is you and your yet
to be tapped full potential.
I know you have worked hard in junior high
and are prepared to apply
what you have learned
during your time in
district 15 to the rigors
of high school expectations.
No matter what high
school you will attending,
I know you are ready.
The four years that lie
ahead will simply fly by.
I encourage you to get involved.
Continue to work hard, make new friends,
try out for sports, or
get involved in clubs.
Look for ways to volunteer and give back.
The opportunities truly are endless.
I encourage you to make the very most
of your high school experience
by continuing to challenge
yourself in every way.
I am confident that you are
ready to tackle and embrace
all that high school has to offer.
So on behalf of the Board of Education,
I congratulate you, the
graduating class of 2020,
and wish you nothing but the very best
as you begin the next chapter
in your educational journey.
Congratulations.
- Hi, I'm Alex Ramos.
I first wanna say
congratulations to my classmates
on our graduation from
Sundling Junior High.
I wish we could be together.
My favorite memory took place
on February 6th of this year.
It was a wrestling meet,
and it was a home one against Plum Grove.
I was on the sideline with my team
waiting for the last match.
My team already lost the meet.
The last match was
126-pound varsity match.
My teammate was against a Plum Grove kid.
The match was very intense.
Both wrestlers showed
more determination to win
than I've ever seen before.
Both wrestlers had take downs,
escapes, and reversals to get points.
By the third period they retired.
They went to overtime and retired again.
In double overtime it was
tied, but my teammate lost.
Even though my teammate
was mad that he lost,
it was awesome to see the
sportsmanship towards each other.
My teammate was said, but
the determination I saw
was the best I've ever
seen in a wrestling match.
This was my favorite memory at WRS.
- My favorite memory was during
the student faculty game,
and Mr. Clarke whenever he had the ball
or was shooting or dribbling it,
we would always shout overrated because
we thought it was very funny.
And that was one of my favorite memories.
- One memory that I made was
the fourth quarter jazz band
concert in seventh grade.
We got to pick the songs that
we played for the audience,
and we picked "Don't Stop Believing,"
"Africa," and "Free Bird."
When it was finally time to perform
the atmosphere was electric
because everyone knew the songs
and were singing along to them.
I feel like everyone was behind us
and reminded me why I love jazz band.
- 2020 graduates, I just
wanted to share my memory,
which was when my friends
and I did cross country
and track and field in
seventh and eighth grade
even though we weren't able to
do track and field this year.
- Hi, my name is Neha Pradhan,
and I'm gonna be sharing
a really amazing memory
that I have of Sundling.
My time at Sundling has been really great,
and these have been the
best two years of my life.
There are so many amazing
memories and friends
that I have made here.
I think my favorite memory was
the 2019/2020 band car wash.
We all worked together as a
band community and washed cars,
but when we were doing
this we had a lot of fun.
We stood at the side of the
curb and danced and screamed
for cars to come stop at the car wash.
We made signs and waved them in the air.
We laughed and laughed as
we jumped in the puddles.
We sprayed each other with the hoses
and dumped soap water
on each other's heads.
We laughed until the soapy water
got in our mouths and eyes.
It was truly one of the most fun memories
that I have of Sundling and the WRS band.
I'm gonna miss Sundling a lot,
and I will cherish the memories I've made
and the lessons I've learned here.
Thank you to all the teachers and students
That have made these years so enjoyable.
- My favorite memory
from Sundling was when
the seventh grade boys won
(voice muffled) cross country.
It was a real fun experience,
and I'm so glad I did
cross country both years.
- Hi, my name is Benjamin Schweitzer,
and my favorite WRS
moment from my time here
has been my very first
day of seventh grade.
I was new to the district
and didn't know anyone.
I was definitely nervous
but excited to make some new friends.
In my very first period
I met one of my friends
for the first time.
Neither of us knew anyone else,
and we got to know each other that day.
We were locker partners and from there
our friendship continued to
grow to what it is today.
- In seventh and eighth
grade I convinced Mr. Clarke,
the health teacher, to
make a TikTok with me
and one of my other friends.
We made one on one of the last days
of school in seventh grade
and one right before
quarantine in eight grade.
I'm so grateful that he
actually went through with it
and that he hasn't done
one with anyone else.
That's why it's my favorite
memory at Sundling.
- It is now my pleasure to hand out
tonight's Scholars Award.
Sundling Scholars is a class that focuses
on college and career readiness
and was designed by district 15 teachers
to increase school-wide learning
and performance in all areas.
The lessons include study
skills, organization,
leadership, team building,
and goal setting.
The students are introduced
to a wide variety of speakers
who share information about
the college they attended
and the career choices
that they have made.
The students must apply for this class
and receive approval
from the scholars team
to have enrolled in the class.
Tonight we will be recognizing a student
that exemplifies all
of the important traits
and aspirations of a student
in the Scholars program.
Here are a few comments that came
directly from Sundling
teachers to help describe
the amazing qualities of the recipient
of the 2020 Scholars Award tonight.
This student is a super hard worker,
conscientious, even when
absent, always had a smile.
This student has a kind soul
and has a heart of gold.
She works hard and always tries her best.
She views the world with
a mature set of eyes.
This student always has
a smile on her face.
She is dedicated to learning.
She excels because she
works hard and cares
about the understanding of concepts.
She thinks critically about what she reads
and has great insight.
She is also kind, respectful,
and helpful to fellow students
as well as staff members.
She always gives her best effort
regardless of what we are doing.
She is very nice to everyone
and respectful, too.
This student is a wonderful student
who truly cares about her learning.
She works hard and is a
very critical thinker.
She is kind to others.
She is the type of student
who is determined to excel
and she thanks me for the
feedback that I give her
on distance learning history lessons.
She is a one of a kind and
truly deserves this award.
So tonight I wanna say congratulations
to student Nora Jackson
for receiving the 2020
Sundling Scholars Award.
Congratulations.
You deserve it.
- Hello, I'm Kelly Rice,
Assistant Principal
at Walter Sundling Junior High.
It is my pleasure to
present the Paladin Award
to two Walter R. Sundling students,
one from each of the eighth grade teams.
The Paladin Award is presented each year
to students that participate
in a variety of student activities,
which while maintaining
excellent academic status.
The activities represent
a wide range of pursuits
including fine arts, clubs, intramurals,
school-sponsored activities,
and interscholastic athletics.
Our first Paladin Award winner has been
on Principal's List 4.0 all three terms,
Creative Writing Club, Newspaper
Club, NJHS, Peer Mentors,
Running Club, cross country,
play/musical participant,
and won the seventh grade Paladin Award.
It is my pleasure to present the
2020 WRS Tech Team Paladin
Award to Jazmyn George.
Congratulations.
The Palatine Hills University
Paladin Award winner
has been on Principal's
List 4.0 all three terms,
NJHS, Peer Mentors, Running
Club, girls basketball,
chorus, Sundling Sound, and Veteran's Day.
It is my privilege to present
the Palatine Hills University
Paladin Award to Arushi Bhatia.
Congratulations.
And now, the American Legion Award.
This award can be considered
the highest honor given
to America's youth by the American Legion.
This award proclaims to the world
that you are the kind of
student the American Legion,
the comrades of those men and women
who gave their lives in battle,
believe worthy of such an honor.
It is the goal for the
recipients of this award
to be aware that wherever
you go, whatever you do,
you should always be guided
by the highest of ideals.
These ideals as set forth
by the American Legion
include courage, bravery
in the face of opposition,
determination and force
to do what is right
without public applause
and regardless of personal advantage.
Honor, a highly developed moral character,
having moral excellence,
strength, and stability of character,
high standards of
conduct, devotion to duty,
adherence to truth, a keen
sense of what is right,
and the participant and the practice
of clean speech and thoughts.
Leadership, the ability to lead,
the ability to work in harmony
and in unison with other leaders
in accomplishing group results.
The desire and ability to fill the voids
of the lives of others caused by
timidity, illness, and other handicaps.
Citizenship and patriotism and
ideal of loyal Americanism,
religious tolerance, righteous freedom,
and the willingness to
defend our flag and country,
which is perhaps best defined
in the America's Creed.
Scholarship, meaning
attainment in school studies,
quality of work reflecting the fine traits
of industry, perseverance, efficiency,
and intelligence, and service,
a kindness or unselfishness,
a protection of the weak
and a promotion of the
interest and the welfare
of both school and community.
Candidates for this award were voted upon
by the faculty of Walter R.
Sundling through secret ballots.
Congratulations to John
Fedus and Uche Agboifoh
Congratulations.
(energetic orchestral music)
- Thank you very much or watching
tonight's virtual graduation ceremony,
and I wanna once again
congratulate our 2020 graduates.
We are very proud of you and we celebrate
all of your accomplishments.
Have a wonderful evening.
I wish you nothing but the best of luck
as you move on to high school
and all of your future endeavors.
Stay Sundling Strong.
(upbeat music)
