The saying goes, “You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been.” For Walt Whitman High School seniors, the annual Senior Walk takes them literally back to where they have been, just before they start on the road to where they are going.
It’s a fun and emotional walk down memory lane after seniors pick up their cap and gown, put on their graduation finery, board buses and head for a visit to their respective South Huntington intermediate school - either Birchwood or Maplewood. Of course, there’s a little Birchwood versus Maplewood rivalry first. Once the seniors get to their school, the BW and MW teachers and students are there waiting to cheer on the grads, along with high fives and hugs, as they walk through the halls where they spent grades 3 through 5.
This special tradition started in 2019 as a way to establish a reconnection between teachers, administrators and the children they had a hand in helping to graduate.
“We decided to do something where students would be able to go back and see the teachers that may either have made an impact in their life, or be able to see the hallways where they once were little kids and dreamed of being up at the high school,” explained Dr. John Murphy, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
It’s also meant to give the students in the lower grades the chance to see the older students, who have been where the younger kids are now, and realize what they too can achieve at the pinnacle of their educational journey.
For the Maplewood and Birchwood teachers, it’s a chance to see former students they may not have seen for years! For the seniors, it’s a moment to thank or hug that early grade teacher who made a difference in their life, and helped make memories that will last a lifetime.
“To see the look on kids' faces when they walk in and they see their first or second or their fourth grade teacher,” shared Dr. Murphy. “Or to have that principal see a kid that maybe wasn't as extroverted as he is as a young adult, now being able to see how they've grown and matured. Being able to make that connection again with the Senior Walk and realize how special their journey or their pathway was in South Huntington has been a great accomplishment.”
Students and teachers at Maplewood welcomed the Class of 2023 with pompoms and streamers in hand and smiles on their faces.
Ms. Crocco welcomed back her senior daughter, Hailey, and her classmates from when they were students at Maplewood.
Birchwood's halls were filled with Whitman's soon to be graduates.
The annual Senior Walk is just as memorable for our graduating class as it is for our district's youngest students.