By: Lacey Korevec
Cranbury School eighth-graders are going through a confusing few weeks: they’re ready for a big change, but sentimental about what they’ll be leaving behind.
The majority of them, who have been learning together within the comforting walls of Cranbury School since kindergarten, will be attending Princeton High School in the fall, where they’ll be faced with a much bigger building and a significantly larger student body.
Eighth-grader Max Dickey is really feeling the push-pull motion of wanting to leave, but also wishing to stay. To him, the end of this year marks the closing of an important chapter in his life.
"Middle school was preparing me for high school, but high school’s preparing me for life and college," he said. "It’s very different from middle school. It’s faster, it’s more difficult and it’s more important."
Max said he’s looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities the high school will offer him that Cranbury School could not. One of those is the chance to challenge himself by studying Latin instead of Spanish.
He’ll also be involved in the school’s music program.
"I’m going to be playing in their band, which I hear is very good," he said. "I’m looking forward to the electives I’m taking and there are so many more classes in high school than in middle school."
Max said he expects the transition to feel odd because a handful of his classmates will attend private schools, such as Peddie School and Princeton Day School, in the fall.
"It will be very strange," he said. "I’m moving from a school where I know everyone’s first and last name to a school where I know nothing about the people. There’s just so much more to have to learn."
But right now, Max is ready to wrap up this academic year.
"I’m looking forward to exams being over," he said. "And I’m kind of looking forward to the last week, but I’m also kind of afraid of it because that’s where all the good-byes take place. It’s going to be a lot of new beginnings and a lot of endings."
Max’s classmate, Leah Reiss, said it’s both frustrating and comforting that there are just a few weeks left before school ends.
"It’s all winding down and no one really feels like working but the teachers are still expecting us to do a lot of work," she said. "So, everyone’s kind of waiting for the end of the year and it’s just kind of like these days are getting longer. But in the end it will be really sad to leave all the nice teachers, but I think we’re all ready for a change."
Though she’s sad about leaving, Leah is keeping her attitude positive by thinking about making more friends who share similar interests. She said she’s especially excited about participating in theater productions and taking choir electives at the high school.
"They just added a new wing and it has this great theater and I saw the play ‘Wizard of Oz’ that they did and it was amazing," she said. "I think they do two or three plays a year there, so there are a lot of opportunities. So, I’m just really excited to get into that."
Still, getting ready to leave Cranbury School is bittersweet, she said.
"Cranbury School has so many great memories here and I’ve made so many great friends," she said. "I know it will be hard leaving, but I think it will be good for all of us and I’m really excited about next year. I know it’s going to be a big change but it will be an exciting progression from a really small school into a really big school with a lot of people."
Annie Bonazzi is in the minority. A West Windsor resident, she’s been attending Cranbury School since kindergarten because her mother, Katherine Bonazzi, is a teacher there. Instead of entering Princeton High School with her friends by her side, she’ll be starting off the year at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, where familiar faces will be few and far between.
"It’s not like I don’t know anyone at West Windsor, but not like I know my friends from Cranbury," Annie said. "These are people I’ve known for nine years and have never been separated from, so I’m going to miss them so much, but I’m hoping to make a new start and I’m hoping that my four years of high school will be like my nine years at Cranbury."
In the meantime, Annie wants to enjoy the last few week of school and all the exciting activities that go along with it, including the upcoming eighth-grade formal, with her friends, with whom she promises to stay close even though they’ll be separated.
"I feel like, ‘Wow, the end of the year’s really coming now. After nine years, I’m going to be leaving Cranbury,’ " she said. "And I’ve always known that it was going to happen, but now that it’s coming so quickly, it’s very surreal."
Between the end of the year trip on Wednesday, when students went to New York City for some fun at Dave and Buster’s and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, topped off by seeing the musical "Wicked" on Broadway, and other activities like the eighth-grade formal, coming up June 8, eighth-grader Andrew Coleman said he’s feeling slightly stressed out.
"All the activities are really exciting and fun but they’re all sort of at once so it can be a little overwhelming because one day you go to New York and the next day you have to pick out a suit and all that stuff," he said. "But it’s really fun."
But when it’s all over with and he’s a Princeton High School student, Andrew said, he’s sure he’ll miss the good times he’s had at Cranbury, and will especially miss a number of teachers who have had a major impact on his life and helped him through difficult times. But he’s definitely excited about meeting new teachers and exploring new things at the high school.
"I think, just for the first couple days, getting to know everybody and trying to find my way around will be the most nerve-racking part," he said. "I’m really excited because of all the sports they offer there and I’m looking forward to meeting new people."
At Cranbury School, Andrew ran cross-country in the fall and spring track. He said he wants to continue running in high school and also wants to take some interesting electives like personal finance and some computer programming classes.
"And then, I think they offer clubs. If I have any time left over, I’ll probably join one of the clubs just to check it out and interact with some of the other kids," he said.

