More than two dozen adults gathered in Mountain View School’s multipurpose room on a recent Friday for the annual Sixth-Grade Exit Interviews.
They fumbled with their name tags and folders and talked excitedly as a parade of sixth-graders lined up outside the door, hooting at some inside joke.
The hour-long interviews had adult professionals quiz the soon-to-be elementary school graduates on what they had learned in their final year at Mountain View, as well as their careers at the campus at 5465 Queen Ann Lane. Most had been at the school since kindergarten.
“Ultimately, it’s an opportunity for them to reflect on all their years at elementary school and present themselves,” said Lisa Embury, a sixth-grade teacher who helped organize the event. “The point of this is really a celebration of their work and to say, ‘I’m ready for junior high.’”
The students were dressed up nicely, with some of the boys even wearing jackets and ties. Groups of two or three sixth-graders introduced themselves to their interviewers and sat together. They spoke clearly and were comfortable making eye contact.
Questions varied from “Who is your favorite author?” to elementary mathematics and science. The adults were provided with folders filled with suggested questions and accompanying information, including multipage personal essays written by the students they would be interviewing.
Among the adults were Bill Banning, superintendent of the Goleta Union School District; GUSD Assistant Superintendent Carol Boyan-Held; Laura Ciontea, a partner at the Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset accounting firm; Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley; Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen; and Goleta Valley Junior High School Principal Veronica Rogers.
“This year we read Out of My Mind, which helped me understand someone who was struggling,” Max explained to his interviewer. “She was in a wheelchair and (the book) really helped me understand the perspective of her life.
“I don’t have a favorite author because I like to keep my opinion on books open,” he added, “but Harry Potter is really good.”
The graduating class also came prepared. The students each had a giant binder full of notes, drawings and a cover letter they had specially prepared.
“Each student writes about themselves as a learner, how they’ve been a collaborative worker, and all the subject areas we’ve covered,” Embury said.
Eventually the tone in some conversations morphed to a friendly conversation from that of a job interview.
“Sometimes I can’t really trust computers so I just like to write everything down,” Elizabeth explained to Macfadyen.
In her cover letter, she revealed that she likes to write poetry and loves to practice writing, although she acknowledged math is not her strong suit.
Her partner, Suhanee, on the other hand, doesn’t enjoy reading “that much” but is passionate about math.
“I love math,” she said. “We worked a lot on statistics this year. I did Math Super Bowl this year; I’ve done it since fourth grade. I just love the challenge.”
Macfadyen, a veteran of Mountain View’s exit interviews, spoke for many of the adults when he described the experience as “enriching.”
“The students are so poised and prepared, and I’m always impressed at how freely they can talk about their challenges and vulnerabilities,” he said. “They have every reason to be proud of themselves.”
Finally, the students had a chance to talk about their futures as they prepared to depart the friendly and familiar environment of Mountain View School.
“My goals are to be in the honors program, be better with time management and make new friends at La Colina (Junior High School),” Sasha said.
“I would like to speak up more in class and not be afraid to present my work,” Elizabeth said.
— Noozhawk intern Ana Mezic can be reached at amezic@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
