POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCES: Inaugural 5th grade class graduates at DMS (PHOTOS)

There’s a new graduating class in town.

Destin Middle School’s pioneering fifth-graders marched to their own pomp and circumstance on Tuesday. To see more photos from the ceremony, click here.

“It was a sixth-grade experience that we got to get in the fifth-grade,” said Reid Hallman, 11.

The students marked the end of the inaugural year of the fifth-grade French and Fine Arts program, created to alleviate overcrowding at Destin Elementary. Students were asked to voluntarily move up to the middle school, where enrollment was diminishing.

Fifth-grade team leader Carmen Patterson said there are 47 students waiting in the wings to be in the program next year.

“I think overall they got a really well-rounded experience, because they got the art, language and band,” said Kathleen Armstrong.

Armstrong and Sharon Catrino were hired on at DMS at the beginning of the year to teach the two fifth-grade classes. Patterson taught the students basic French and art, and a collaboration with the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation padded the fine arts education.

Sidney Freeman, 11, enjoyed hearing how Kilwin’s Chocolate started its business. She also learned  about the principles of architecture from Lynn Dugas.

Aside from outside speakers, the French and Fine Arts program combined several approaches to learning though cooperative projects and giving the students a wider range of curriculum.

“It was kind of fun, because we got to choose between PE and dance,” said Beppy Watkins, 11. The dancers choreographed an 80s routine to entertain at DMS’s first Miss Marlin pageant in February.

Catrino said she was most impressed with the students’ writing skills.

They recently participated in the Young Authors program, an initiative that teaches creative writing skills by allowing students to develop a story, structure it, write an outline and edit their work. The students were given a blank story book to transcribe their story into and illustrate.

Elijah Schneidewind, 11, wrote “The Future Life of Peter and Friends,” about a boy who plays soccer, runs track and goes to college to be a veterinarian — all things he aspires to do.

Expanded use of technology was also available to the students.

Chase Strickland, 11, explained how Catrino used a Smart Board to project lessons from her computer screen. The Smart Board functions as a touch screen to make lessons more interactive.

Mark Landers, 12, said he got more savvy with computer research during the Black History project.

“I liked the civil rights’ project,” said Noah Valloch, 10. He said the project taught him that Barack Obama was a senator from Illinois and that George Washington Carver used peanuts in his inventions.

The first day of sixth-grade should be a smoother ride for the fifth-graders moving up.

“Every year (some) sixth-graders are in tears on the first day of school. They’re lost and they can’t find their lockers,” Patterson said. “This year we know it won’t be these 44 kids.”

They may not get easily lost, but the fifth-graders still have mixed feelings about moving up.

“I don’t know what it will be like,” said Julia James, 11.

Jesi Harrell, 10, is looking forward to the transition, since she will have a locker and be able to choose different electives. She plans to take French and tumbling.

“Chances are, we’re going to be late for a lot of classes,” said Alex Bordelon, 11. He’s not sure how they will be able to go to their lockers and the bathroom in the five minutes allotted between classes.

Catrino said next year will provide more emphasis academically to math and science to produce higher level thinking.

“I’m just really proud of them for adapting,” she said. “They rose to the occasion.”

French and Fine Arts Class of 2009
Taylor Allen, Dalton Anderson, Emily Balint, Savannah Bartleson, Alex Bordelon, Jordan Breed, Scott Burke, Cade Carter, Eric Collins, Blair Colowich, Paige Colowich, Sidney Freeman, Alexa Gaddis, Chase Geissel, Ryen Goebel, Kevin Gossett, Nery Gutierrez, Reid Hallman, Jesi Harrell, Julia James, Bailey Jenrich, Kyle Kaple, Kalanne Krause, Mark Landers, Ross Lawrence, Coral Malette, Matt McDermott, Patrick McNair, Lauren McWilliams, Samuel Melecio-Zambrano, Britnee Nichols, James Phillips, Andre Pinto, Savannah Reber, Cassidy Redmond, Kevin Robinson, Lance Strain, Chase Strickland, Beppy Watkins, Holly White, Elijah Schneidewind and Noah Valloch.

Know a grad-to-be?
Destin Elementary School will hold its fifth-grade promotion Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Destin Community Center. Destin Middle’s eighth-grade graduation will follow at 11 a.m. in the school’s gym.