Through blue skies and crowded bleachers filled with family and friends, the 170 students from Cardozo Middle School in Riverbank soared through their Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony this past week. With many students receiving top honors, from the Laura C.C. Peterson Award, Academic Excellence Award and the California Junior Scholarship Federation Award, the achievements were many and the appreciation was great. Peterson was the first female principal of Cardozo Middle School and was revered for teaching students about things like the importance of community service, leadership and academic excellence.
As Principal Eduina Azevedo noted, “These students have experienced it all from being energetic, hungry and emotional all within the same five minutes to surviving awkward school dances and P.E. Week. They have learned important lessons and overcome many challenges and how to move forward when things are difficult.”
Azevedo went on to express her admiration for this class as she introduced the speakers which included: Hailey Marie Ramirez as the Valedictorian, Zuri Zawadi Golding as the R.A.M.E. Valedictorian, Jennifer Flores Ramos and Marlene Ruiz as the Salutatorians and Isabella Marie Ribeiro as the R.A.M.E. Salutatorian.
The Riverbank Academy of Multilingual Education, or R.A.M.E. as it’s known, provides students the opportunity to become proficient in both English and Spanish. The Riverbank Unified School District also offers students the option of learning a third language as well, Mandarin Chinese, with the goal that each student enrolled in the R.A.M.E. program will graduate from high school being multi-lingual.
For Hailey Ramirez, Valedictorian and recipient of several academic awards including the Laura C.C. Peterson Award, she credited her parents with inspiring her to be the best version of herself.
“My mom, Rosalva Ramirez, has always pushed me to be the best version of myself. She has taught me empathy, passion and courage and I am so grateful to her. From my dad, who is the funniest person I know, he provided me support and encouragement when I needed it most,” said Ramirez as she concluded her speech.
For Zuri Zawadi Golding, R.A.M.E. Valedictorian, just being onstage and delivering her acceptance speech was something that she was proud to share with her fellow students and friends.
“Little me could never have imagined that I would be standing here in front of like a billion people, reading this speech but here I am,” said Golding as she addressed the crowd with a smile and a few giggles. Golding went on to thank the teachers that have impacted her life, attributing her growth as a student and as a person to her time at Cardozo Middle School.
Salutatorians Jennifer Flores Ramos, Marlene Ruiz and the R.A.M.E. Salutatorian Isabella Marie Ribeiro, all expressed gratitude and reminded their fellow students that though there may be obstacles to overcome in the future, their time together at Cardozo has taught them resilience and courage, both of which will serve them well as they embark on new adventures in high school.
