By Victoria Sottek
Round Table reporter

On May 12 at 10 a.m., the Knee High Knights Class of 2011 began their graduation ceremony at the Middletown Park. Earlier in the morning, Gretchen Martin took her Child Development 2’s to the park to decorate one of the pavilions in festive orange and black. While they spread tablecloths and arranged a variety of food, the Child Development 3’s were back at the high school, preparing the preschoolers for their big day.

MHS seniors Tara Shaffer and Nicole Henderson practiced with the children one more time for the ceremony. They recited the alphabet, numbers 1-20, and danced to the song “I’m A Little Teapot”.

“Working with the kids and teaching them new concepts definitely helped all of us as teachers to recognize and feel accomplished that we helped these little ones grow, develop and learn. I think that’s what makes Graduation day so important,” said Henderson.

After running through the kid’s recitations, other Child Development 3 students began to help dress the preschoolers in their bright orange caps and gowns.

After a few pictures and a final headcount, the preschoolers and Child Development 3’s began making their way to the park. Parents and other family members anxiously awaited the arrival of their preschoolers, casually chatting with one another. As soon as the preschoolers stepped into the pavilion, the ceremony was ready to begin. With some much-needed prompting from Shaffer and Henderson, the preschoolers proceeded with their recitations and group dance.

MHS junior Abby Buchanan said, “The children got to show their parents what they have learned, and we got to celebrate how much the children grew throughout the year.”

After a short closing statement from Martin, everyone was free to grab refreshments, play with the preschoolers on the playground equipment, or simply relax in the grass and enjoy the beautiful May sunshine.

Although all the children participated in the graduation ceremony, many of them will be returning to the preschool next year.

“The kids learn new things every day, social and emotionally. Socially, they are all ready to move onto Kindergarten. With a little more practice over the summer, they could all be at the Kindergarten level,” said Henderson.

“The preschoolers have improved so much this year. They’ve mastered skills like counting and writing, as well as physical skills like catching a ball. But I feel like it really is true that we learn more from them than they do from us,” said Buchanan.