The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
School “Clap Out” honors graduates
Students at Avon Early Learning Center, 3075 Stoney Ridge Road, gathered June 4 in the building’s main hallway to cheer on members of Avon High School’s 2018 senior class.
The event, called the “Clap Out,” allowed the elementary students at the Early Learning Center to congratulate the recently-graduated Avon seniors.
“This is the second year we have done this at Avon,” said Kristina Buller, principal at Avon High, 37545 Detroit Road. “This is something Colleen Mudore, the principal at Avon Learning Center, had heard about and decided to implement it.”
Buller said the event centers around the admiration the elementary school students have for the high schoolers.
“They think the high schoolers are rock stars,” she said. “They look up to them in so many ways.”
Buller said the event relied on seniors, who graduated June 2, to come back and be part of the “Clap Out.”
“They didn’t have to do this,” she said. “We asked the graduates if they wanted to do it, and I was very pleased that 30 showed up.
“I think it’s really cool to see them do this and show the bond everyone in the Avon School District has for one another.”
Buller said the visit to the elementary school also was exciting for the graduates.
“This used to be a middle school when they went here,” she said. “They were saying how some of them remember playing basketball and doing other various activities while going to school in this building.
“It was kind of like coming full circle for them getting a chance to come back.”
Buller said the event is something that shows both ends of the spectrum.
“You have young adults who have just finished their Avon School careers and students who are just beginning theirs,” she said. “It shows the students what it looks like when you complete the 13-year journey of going to school.
“The elementary students are also wearing Tshirts with the year they will graduate, which is really awesome.”