By Wrangler News Staff
High school graduates across the state are settling in for the next chapter of their lives, but a few area students finished their high school careers with a walk down memory lane.
Seven Kyrene principals invited alumni to return to their original middle schools with their high-school caps and gowns, to walk the halls one more time.
Current elementary school students and past teachers lined the halls to cheer on the graduating seniors. The graduates held posters, showcasing the college they’ll be attending in the fall, along with their planned areas of study.
Officials say this Kyrene tradition is not only nostalgic for the graduating class but encouraging as well for the younger learners, who are between seven and 13 years away from earning their own diplomas. They are inspired by the success of past students.
“Our school motto is Dream BIG!” said Dr. Ana Gomez del Castillo, principal of Kyrene de los Lagos Dual Language Academy. “Our students seeing the graduates walking the school hallways helps them visualize what they can achieve.”
Participating Kyrene schools included Kyrene del Cielo in Chandler and Kyrene de las Manitas in Tempe. In Ahwatukee, invited schools included Kyrene de los Cerritos, Esperanza, Estrella, Lagos and Sierra.
“I want children to know that, even when they leave Cielo, we think about them—we care about them and we are excited for their milestones,” said Castillo.
“We are so happy to be able to celebrate their high school graduation with them and wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Every single Kyrene school should do this.