SALEM — Some of the students who were pioneers at Saltonstall School's middle grades said it was exciting to be part of something new.
"You're just adapting," said grade eight student Desjardin Baez, 14. "Being there while the school is changing, you have to adapt."
"We were kind of the guinea pigs," Becky Woodcock, 13, said, "to try to change and make it better."
Becky said she enjoyed being in a K-8 environment where she knew everyone.
"We pretty much know every single teacher," she said, "and we were the role models."
Though it was nice to have the continuity, some are eager for a new experience.
"I can't wait to get out of here," said Alex Lora, 14, who will attend Essex Aggie next year. "Nine years is a long time."
The students recalled some memorable field trips, which they began taking in fourth grade. Destinations have included Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., and Nature's Classroom, an environmental education program.
"My favorite thing was the trips," Alex said.
When the school expanded, most of the teachers were new because they have to be content-certified for middle school.
"We learned to communicate with them, and they've been awesome," said Becky, who will attend Bishop Fenwick in the fall.
The students say it will feel foreign to be in a new environment next year.
"It's definitely going to be different after being the oldest ones in the school to being the youngest," said Dayna Ramsey, 14, who will attend Salem High.
But there is one thing they won't miss: school during the summer.
"It's not fun when the next-door neighbor is going into the pool and you have your backpack on," Becky said.
Of roughly 35 eighth-graders moving on from Saltonstall, the majority will attend Salem High in the fall, according to information provided by the school.
Four students will attend Essex Aggie in Danvers, two will enroll at North Shore Tech in Middleton, four will attend Salem Academy Charter School, two will attend St. Mary's in Lynn, and one will attend Bishop Fenwick in Peabody.
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