By gathering at one of the six elementary schools, seniors are preparing to participate in the annual Walk the Halls event. Student Council will be holding it on June 9 for seniors to arrive and walk through their schools.
According to Student Council advisor Amy Tarlo, seniors are invited to meet their original classmates at the front of their elementary school at 2 p.m. Their principals will invite them into an entourage of cheering K-5th graders and their teachers.
Tarlo coordinated the event with the elementary school principals.
Unlike last year, all schools will be hosting at the same time.
“This year, [the principals] were able to pick 2 p.m., which is nice because it’s the end of the day. Students can get in and get out before the buses. I would plan on about an hour total to get there, get in, walk around, and then they can leave by 3 o’clock,” Tarlo said.
Because of the unprecedented last two years, seniors have been unable to physically ‘walk the halls.’
Last year, the event was held mostly outside.
2021 graduate Leah Mowery attended the event at Oak Ridge Elementary School.
“We lined up outside and said where we are going next year and what our plans are in front of all the elementary school kids,” Mowery said. “We got to say what our favorite memory was at Oak Ridge. That was really cool, getting to talk to the younger kids about their experiences and reflecting on ours.”
Walk the Halls brings in more excitement and participation among seniors than Tarlo expected.
“They get very excited about seeing certain teachers and principals,” Tarlo said. “It’s a very positive event and it gets them excited for graduation. [They] are able to go say farewell to their elementary schools- kind of like a right of passage, full-circle moment and I love that,”
Senior Jamie Alderfer is looking forward to participating in Walk the Halls.
According to Alderfer, this event has a lot of sentimental value. “I feel like it’s one last time to go back to your roots and be with the people you went through your first stage of life with,” Alderfer said.
Alderfer also said that the event will bring reflection upon seniors. “It’s a nostalgic time, to see how different you now feel in that school and how much you’ve changed,” Alderfer said. “I know driving past [my elementary school,] it’s so small and cute now and shows me how much I’ve changed.”
Students are able to reconnect with their K-5 teachers if they still work at the building.
Alderfer and Mowery had one particular teacher in mind, Oak Ridge Elementary School third grade teacher Ross Pollack.
Mowery was able to see him last year.
“That was probably my favorite part, getting to talk to him because I had him for two years and I had the same people in that class for two years,” Mowery said.
Senior Brooke Scotti is going to be attending the event at Vernfield Elementary school.
“I am excited to see Mr. Gross. He was my gym teacher and he was really nice,” Scotti said.