As the 2024-2025 school year comes to a close, it is met with mixed emotions. Many seniors are excited about turning the page to a new chapter in their lives, but also sad to leave the friends that some of us have been around for 13 years. Graduating is a very bittersweet experience.
With that said, let me and a couple others reflect on the great time that we have had while at New Hartford, because not everything about graduation has to be sad.
I am very grateful for all of the amazing people I have met during my time at New Hartford. For me personally, many of my friends came from football and baseball, both of which I played from seventh grade all the way through senior year. Some of my best friends now are kids I simply had classes with at Perry, and the fact I am still so close to them today is crazy.
In 2020, all of us had started 7th grade at Perry Junior High. But obviously, COVID hit more than halfway through the school year and we had to do online classes for a while. This sucked, especially at a time when everyone was just starting to get accustomed to middle school and really become more comfortable with some peers they had never met prior to the school year (from the other two elementary schools).
Jameson Stockwell is a senior at New Hartford who did not start out here until sophomore year. Jameson will be attending Deerfield Academy (Mass.) in the fall to further his education and basketball career before moving on to a four year school.
From day one, Jameson felt at home at New Hartford.
“It really helped that the people, specifically my friends, were so welcoming and kind to me from the start. Also being involved with preseason cross country meeting [new] people, and then carrying on in the season and later basketball and track helped me connect with lots of people and made it an easier adjustment. Although there were times when I missed Clinton and the comfort there, the move to New Hartford became a new normal after a few setbacks that I needed to find a way through and thankfully did,” Jameson said.
Jameson has enjoyed becoming closer with his friends in the last year.
“I am very excited about next year and going to prep school, but I will definitely miss them and cherish all the memories I am making with them daily,” he said.
I want to thank all of the teachers and staff that have made my high school experience more enjoyable. Thank you to anyone who has read my work for Spartan Expressions, I sincerely appreciate it.
Thank you, New Hartford.
Senior Class Activities
Saturday, May 31- Senior Ball at the Stanley Theatre in Utica
Monday, June 16- Senior Breakfast and Graduation Rehearsal
Wednesday, June 25- Senior Class Trip to Lake George
Thursday, June 26- Senior Recognition Night at the Dr. James A. Meyer Performing Arts Center
Saturday, June 28- Graduation at the Stanley Theatre
