It was a fun and, for some, emotional trip down memory lane for Walt Whitman seniors after their graduation rehearsal on Monday morning, June 24th. Each senior picked up their cap and gown, put them on, and boarded school buses to head for their respective primary or intermediate schools for the annual Senior Walk - one last walk through the halls where their education started. In past years, it only involved two of the lower grade schools but this year, all four - Oakwood, Countrywood, Birchwood and Maplewood - got to participate.
Teachers and students lined the halls to cheer on the grads with high fives, waving flags, pom-poms and “congratulations'' signs. There were occasional stops for hugs between grads and former teachers, grads and younger siblings, and photos. The seniors all commented on how the hallways, desks, chairs and pretty much everything got so “small” while the teachers wondered how the graduates all got “so big so fast!”
This special tradition started in 2019 as a way to establish a reconnection between principals, teachers, and the children they had an early hand in helping to graduate. “To see the look on kids' faces when they walk in and they see their first or second or fourth grade teacher, to have that principal see a kid that maybe wasn't as extroverted as he or she is now as a young adult. It’s so rewarding being able to see how they've grown and matured and being able to make that connection again and realize how special their journey was in South Huntington,” said Walt Whitman Principal John Murphy.
It’s also meant to give the students in the lower grades the chance to see the older students, and realize what they, too, can achieve. For teachers, it’s a chance to see former students they may not have seen in years. For the seniors, it’s a moment to thank or hug that early grade teacher who made a difference in their life.
Best of luck to the Class of 2024!