On the evening of Thursday, June 5, 2024, the Falk Laboratory School community gathered in the sanctuary of Rodef Shalom Congregation to celebrate the graduation of the 43 members of Falk’s eighth-grade class.

The eighth-graders entered the sanctuary by walking through a “faculty tunnel” of teachers lined up along the ramps leading up to the bema, each teacher holding a lantern—a new addition to Falk’s graduation tradition. The family and friends in attendance enjoyed a slideshow of the graduates, as well as a presentation of the traditional “graduation script” created and presented by the class.

Falk’s director, Dr. Jill Sarada, praised the resourcefulness, resilience, and joy of the graduating class, sharing stories of the students as Kindergarteners and during their time in pods during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She recounted a conversation she had with the eighth-grade class at the start of the 2023-24 school year, when she asked about their hopes and goals for the year.

“As you looked around, you said, ‘It’s weird, we keep looking for the older kids and then we realize that we are the oldest,’” Dr. Sarada recalled.

“Well, you are the older kids, and today you are the ones graduating. And we are here to celebrate you.”

She concluded, “We hope that we’ve given you the tools to enjoy every minute of learning that lies in your future and that you’ll come back to Falk and let us continue to be a part of your life.”

Dr. Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education, addressed the graduates, giving her top five key points for graduates and advising them to keep pushing forward even when things might seem tough.

The dean quoted her mother, who told her, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” She urged the graduates to cherish the friendships they formed while at Falk, to grow together, and to stay curious.

Arnav Dasyam was awarded the Rao Family Student Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding achievements in learning, performance, and citizenship.

The day after the ceremony, the entire Falk community gathered in the gymnasium to celebrate the graduating class. The slide show and video of class memories were shared with the entire school, and the full school community sang Falk’s school song.

Tyler Sutton and Leila Young, last year’s winners of the Sunstein Awards, presented this year’s awards to Julia Danyliw and Tochi Ndubuisi. The Sunstein Awards are given to students who demonstrate depth of perception, imaginative writing skills, and concern for others, among other values.

The Class of 2024 will be attending the following high schools:

• Central Catholic High School
• The Ellis School
• Fox Chapel Area High School
• Oakland Catholic High School
• Pittsburgh Allderdice Senior High School
• Pittsburgh Obama 6–12
• Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy
• Quaker Valley High School
• Shady Side Academy
• Shaler Area High School
• South Fayette High School
• Winchester Thurston School