Congrats! GWL Fifth Graders on Moving Up Day!

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Principal Bridget Finder led a memorable Moving Up Ceremony for all of her Glenwood Landing fifth graders in the Glenwood Landing Theatre. To proud parents, family members, and faculty, the fifth graders happily took to the stage to reflect on their favorite memories at Glenwood Landing School. The reflections were personal and creative to everyone’s enjoyment. The graduates spoke beautifully as everyone in the audience listened attentively and applauded loudly. During the ceremony, the fifth graders performed songs including “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, and “We Must Say Goodbye” by Cynthia Gray.

Along with Principal Finder, Principal Dr. Ryan O’Hara shared the podium at the Moving Up Ceremony. He welcomed the students to North Shore Middle School, congratulated them on their graduation, and said it was okay to be a little nervous. He asked them to tell him the things that made them feel uneasy about going to middle school. Most said getting lost in the hallways and not being able to find their classrooms. He reminded them that they weren’t alone and that within the first week they would find their way! Dr. O’Hara also recited an original sonnet and said he was excited and proud to be their next principal at North Shore Middle School! Also in the audience were Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Dr. Carol Smyth, and Assistant Superintendent for Business, Mr. Jamie Pappas.

Congratulations to the 86 GWL graduates including Alyssa Amato, Anthony Amato, Emily Arbia, Eliana Ardovini, Nicholas Ardovini, Luca Bellocco, Lyla

Bertinetti, Penelope Boyce, Liam Bustamante, Emma Camporeale, Marco Carfagno, Stella Cascino, Jude Caslin, Charlotte Cenatiempo, Jay Chan, Kai Chan, Angela Chen, Cobi Chung, Vivien Cornell, Angelina Datlo, Ava DellaPolla, Madeline DiBari, Rowyn Dillon, Julien Domroe, James Donald, Inomsho Dzhumaev, Noah Espinal, Oliver Fang, Layla Fox, Anastasia Garcia, Lucia Garcia, Alexander Gerasci, Peter Giannakoulis, Evyenia Giovanis, Dean Gjenashi, Alexa Halton, Justin Hanan, Arman Hedayati, Ava Hedayati, Alan Herrmann, Andrew Hertler, Hunter Hojnowski, Amelia Imbriano, Gabrielle Israilov, Marcus Jelani, Adelina Katzner, Ava Koob, Noelle Latos, Zoe Latos, Aedan Leavy, Mekx Lee, Lawrence Lin, Melody Lin, Julia Lizza, Kaitlin Lu, Khloe Lu, Owen Molina, James Moliviatis, Madeline Mooney, Suzanna Mroczka, James Murphy, Ethan Nip, Jazmin Parvina, Jonathan Pollack, Mikaela Riess, Samara Riess, Charlie Rosenhouse, Liliana Santiago, Lorenzo Schembri, Andrew Scheuerman, Jonah Schlissel, Joseph Selby, Everett Serra, Maria Tagaris, Victoria Terrasi, Claire Totillo, Ana Travalja, Ioanna Tzoumas, Muhammad Amaz Usman, Leonel Varela, Joseph Verdirame, Joanna Wang, Benedict Xuan, Kendall Yao, Kira Yeh, and Henry Zayas-Robbins.

Principal Finder warmly addressed her fifth graders and reminded them about how she often loves to use a family tree to symbolize Glenwood Landing School. She continued that her students were like the branches on the family tree as they continue to grow and flourish to live their dreams and accomplish wonderful things. Later in the ceremony, each child received their diplomas on the stage from their fifth-grade teachers and Principal Finder and held them up for their families to see!

Principal Finder formally congratulated her graduating Class of 2026 and their respective families and wished them all the best of luck as they move up to North Shore Middle School. Have a happy and healthy summer!

Article and photos by Shelly Newman