It was a festive scene inside Jenkins Elementary on Wednesday afternoon as students, teachers and administrators were minutes away from summer.
The halls were lined with students, several with posters that said things such as, “Good luck in middle school,” “Happy last day,” and “Congratulations fifth-graders.” Teachers held tambourines and maracas, and in between tears, some recorded the festivities on cell phone videos.
It was all a buildup to the fifth-grade parade, an annual event where Jenkins’ fifth-graders said their final goodbyes as they walk out into the double line of buses and into summer. The last day of school meant they’d soon be known as Jordan Middle sixth-graders, and walk in the doors up the hill.