> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # It was elementary - URL: https://www.smdp.com/it-was-elementary/ - Published: 2006-06-15T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T18:22:41.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import *By TOM GRUBISICH Special to the Daily Press* They called themselves the “lifers.” Nine years ago, they were playful kindergarteners at St. Monica Catholic Elementary School. Now, standing before schoolmates, teachers, parents and guests, they were confident, gracious and sometimes impish eighth graders telling, in their own words, the story of their nine-year journey. The 13 “lifers”were joined by the 16 other members of the class of 2006 at the St. Monica Elementary’s annual graduation breakfast on Friday, June 9, in the school auditorium. The 29 graduates didn’t have to wear their required school uniforms, and, sitting at the center table, they were served breakfast by seventh graders. On Sunday, June 11, the 11 graduating boys and 18 girls donned blue caps and gowns and received their diplomas after an afternoon mass in St. Monica Catholic Church. The Friday breakfast didn’t have the circumstance and pomp of graduation day, but it had plenty of heart. The first lifer to speak was Ricki Boulle, 15, who will be enrolling in Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks and wants to be a lawyer. “An amazing set of teachers gave us a great start on the road of our education,” Boulle said. “We cherish our kindergarten memories. We learned our ABCs, basic numbers, how to respect each other and how to write our names.” Thirteenth and last was Colleen White, 14, who is enrolling at Notre Dame Academy in West Los Angeles in the fall and wants to be either an astrophysicist or physio-therapist. “Our great teachers have taught us the most important life lessons that we will take with us for the future,”Colleen said.“The lifers of 2006 would like to thank all the people that helped (make) us into the people we are today, helping us to exceed boundaries and overcome obstacles in our growing years. It’s been great.” All the graduates joined in singling out their teachers and other mentors for all they’ve helped them with over the years. Principal Joan Morris opened the breakfast program by saluting parents who gave more than the minimum requirement of 30 hours of volunteer time. The parents — in some cases mother and father together — received a red rose when their names were called out. The breakfast wrapped up with a fade-in, fade-out slide show that included snapshots of the 29 graduates — first as sunny-faced babies or toddlers, then as blossoming eighth graders who had conquered algebra, researched carbon dating and were introduced to Puccini (“Madame Butterfly”) and Shakespeare (“A Winter’s Tale,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”). With its 168 photos, the slide show was a kaleidoscopic chronicle of the graduates’ last year at St. Monica Elementary. Paola Sessarego, the eighth-grade homeroom teacher, produced the show with her fiancé, Robert Etoll. “I started taking photos the first day of school,” Sessarego said. To get the baby and toddler shots, “I threatened parents,” she said. “The kids didn’t know.” The slide show unfolded to a soundtrack consisting of Sarah McLaughlin, Queen, Bette Midler and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 15, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061506.pdf?ref=smdp.com)