Kindergartners graduate in symbolic ceremony
DECATUR — For 27 Decatur High School seniors, May 14 marked the end of a long 12-year journey which began in the first grade and ended with their graduation ceremony at Peterson Gym. Following in their footsteps was another group of Decatur school children who began the 12-year journey when they passed from kindergarten into the first grade.
Thirty-five kindergarten students of Christina Brown, Debbie Wenger and Arnee Todd at Decatur Northside Elementary School participated in the 2016-17 graduation ceremony May 23 in the cafeteria at the school in Decatur.
The ceremony opened with the combined classes leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by two songs, “Duh Duh Duh Duh” and “Dynamite.”
Then it was time for the long walk from kindergarten into the first grade. Balentina Batres was the first student called forward to receive her diploma. Batres walked to the center of Northside’s stage where she was handed her diploma by Cary Stamps, Northside’s principal. After receiving her diploma, Batres walked to the front of the stage for photo opportunities by family and friends.
This process was repeated 35 times, with Payton Walls being the last to receive a diploma. After he returned to his seat, Stamps called for the students to rise, after which he pronounced the group Northside Elementary first grade class of 2017-18.
Like their senior counterparts, the new first-graders raised their caps and tossed them high into the air in celebration.
For these new first-graders, the new journey will begin Aug. 14 when the 2017-18 school year begins. This class will complete its educational journey in Decatur in the year 2029 when students take their walk to complete their senior year.