Webutuck pre-k graduates for final time in Millerton

WEBUTUCK — Parallel to the high school graduation last weekend, the Webutuck Central School District celebrated its fifth annual prekindergarten graduation as well last week in Millerton.

The ceremony marked both the big step students will make next year entering kindergarten and the program’s last year in the Millerton Elementary School building.

“It’s been such a wonderful year and they’ve certainly learned a lot,� said school social worker Janice McSpiritt, who gave opening remarks.

At that point the graduating class, 34 strong, paraded into the auditorium wearing graduation caps and T-shirts adorned with green painted handprints.

The students kicked off ceremonies with a trio of graduating songs, to the delight of parents, family and faculty in the audience.

It was a noticeably emotional day for many, including pre-k teacher April Ary, who was in her first year at Webutuck.

“It’s been amazing,� Ary said after awarding diplomas. “I’ve had such wonderful classes.�

A big move is in store for the upcoming 2010-11 school year, as the pre-k program will relocate from the Millerton Elementary School building to Webutuck Elementary School, completing the move of all instructional programs onto the district’s central campus on Haight Road.

Now that the Amenia Elementary School building has officially been accepted by the town of Amenia for use as its new Town Hall for the price of $1 (pending a taxpayer-generated permissive referendum), Webutuck Board of Education President Dale Culver has said that the Millerton building may be offered up in a similar fashion next year.

But even if that were to happen, the referendum vote by district taxpayers is still nearly a year away, and Webutuck’s pre-k program has plenty to keep itself busy with this summer.

“We’ve been getting ready for the move,� Ary said. “It will be nice to be down with everybody else. And I’ll be ready for a new batch of kids to start all over again.�

As for the students moving up next fall, parents had nothing but good things to say about their child’s first year in elementary school.

“It went great,� said Christine Mangione, whose 4-year-old son Matthew was one of the graduates. “He made a lot of friends. He loved the teacher, the bus drives, the activities. And he learned all of his letters and numbers.�

Lucy Abad’s 5-year-old son, Diego, made substantial progress over the past year, she said.

“When he first started, he wasn’t catching on to letters,� she said. “Now, he’s writing and spelling words. And he’s made a lot of friends.�

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