On May 20, 2026, The Colorado Springs School gathered in the Louisa Performing Arts Center for the 8th Grade Continuation Ceremony. Family members, faculty, staff, and friends filled the seats to honor the 26 students of the Class of 2030 as they completed their Middle School journey.
A Welcome Worthy of the Occasion
Director of Lower and Middle School Erin Cerezo, who emceed the ceremony, opened with a heartfelt challenge to everyone assembled. "CSS is now not simply a school," she told the crowd. "It is a historic institution in our community." She acknowledged the trust families had placed in the school, praised faculty for their dedication, and reminded the graduating class of everything they had accomplished — from mastering algebra and world languages to completing Walkabout, one of CSS's signature rites of passage.
Choral director Emily Michielutti led a group of 7th-grade singers in a moving performance of "End of Beginning," setting a reflective tone for the celebration to come.
Honoring Longevity
Interim Head of School Gabriel Ortega took the stage to present the Longevity Awards, recognizing students who have been part of the CSS community since PreK or Kindergarten — students on track to become what the school calls "Lifers," having attended CSS for 13 or more continuous years since PreKindergarten or Kindergarten.
This year, eight students received that distinction: Elizabeth B., Clare J., Milo K., Kaedyn K., Nicholas O., Sasha P., Silas R., and Ronin S.
Student Voices: The Heart of the Ceremony
The longest and most personal portion of the afternoon belonged to the students themselves. One by one, 26 eighth graders were introduced by their teachers and invited to share reflections on their Middle School years. The speeches were as varied as the students who gave them — funny, tender, grateful, and wise — and they painted a vivid picture of what life at CSS means to those who live it.
Themes of community and belonging wove through nearly every speech. Students new to CSS this year described being welcomed with open arms from day one. Those who had been at the school for years — some for nearly a decade — spoke about the deep roots they had grown here. Many reflected on the outdoor experiences that CSS is known for: seminars in Utah's canyons, climbing Mount Sherman, exploring caves, and the transformative week of Walkabout. Again and again, students described being pushed outside their comfort zones — on rock faces, in canyons, in Harkness discussions — and coming out stronger for it.
Several students offered heartfelt thanks to specific teachers who had shaped their time in middle school, crediting them with everything from a renewed love of theater or science to learning to love math just a little bit more. Friends, too, featured prominently: the classmates who made room at the lunch table, who shared a tent, who screamed song lyrics on the bus to Utah, who made eight graders feel like they had always belonged.
The class also marked several significant personal milestones in their speeches: learning to embrace new sports, navigating a diagnosis, discovering poetry as a lifeline, and finding the courage to speak up. Their words reflected not only what they had learned in the classroom but who they were becoming as people.
A Welcome from the Upper School
Following the student speeches, Ms. Cerezo invited Lucas Bednar, a 10th grader and incoming Upper School Forum President, to address the graduating class. Lucas spoke candidly about what awaits them over the next four years, emphasizing that CSS's Upper School actively encourages students to advocate for themselves. "This self-advocacy that has been instilled in us since first starting our individual journeys at CSS is incredibly important now more than ever," he said.
He also pointed to the exciting moment the school finds itself in, with new leadership on the horizon. "This gives you the unique opportunity to take your self-advocacy skills out of the classroom and put them to use in creating real, visible, positive change that is felt by everyone at our school," Lucas told the incoming ninth graders. He closed with a charge to his new peers: "The future of this school isn't something to wait for, but something that we can, and must, build, together."
Official Advancement to Upper School
The formal advancement came from Interim Head of School Gabriel Ortega, who tied the moment to the Walkabout many of the students had just returned from. "Just as in Australian Aboriginal society, the time-honored Walkabout experience here at CSS represents a rite of passage – a transition from adolescence to adulthood – for our rising ninth-grade class," he said.
He acknowledged the full scope of what this class had done — in canyons, on mountains, in classrooms, and in seminars — and expressed confidence in where they were headed. "I speak for all of us here with you today when I say we are confident in your abilities to lead as young adults," he said, before formally welcoming them into the Upper School.
