Vista del Lago Grad Walk brings back memories, smiles

As graduation nears, every year at this time Vista del Lago students hold its own special graduation event call Grad Walk. It's an event where members of the senior class visit the elementary school they attended and then Folsom Middle School, walking through campus in cap and gown being cheered on by the students. Afterward, they get to talk with former teachers and thank them for helping them along the way, as well as recalling fond memories about their time at the school. It's also a fun event for the elementary and middle-school aged kids to see seniors come to the school decked out in cap and gown, as the older student show them one day they'll be graduating too. "It's exciting that students remember their elementary school," Oak Chan Principal Kat Bahry said. "Kids are impressionable and they often remember their elementary school teachers. For the elementary school kids, grad walk is nice because they get to see what their goal is someday, and that's to graduate high school." It's a tradition that Vista del Lago students have grown to love. "I'm looking forward to grad walk," Vista senior Tayler Biehl said. "I have heard such great things about the experience reminiscing about where it all started. I'm excited to see how different the school looks and feels. I think it will be a cool experience the younger generation looking up to the older students. "Many of my favorite teachers at Oak Chan, as well as Folsom Middle School, no longer work there, but a few of my most memorable teachers were Mrs. Colombo, Mrs. Wagner, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Nardinelli. A few of my favorite memories at Oak Chan are Pioneer Day, jog-a-thon and Marin Headlands fifth-grade field trip." Another Vista senior, Silas Glynn, thinks grad walk is an awesome tradition. "I remember in middle school when we were the cheerers in the parade for the senior graduates," Glynn said. "It's crazy that I'm one of those people now. "Folsom Middle was a weird time. I had some great teachers, including Mr. Miller for sixth-grade math. I had a lot of fun in that class and made a lot of new friends." Fellow senior Kira Sadler is also excited about grad walk. "I think it's a cool idea to go back and kind of reminisce," Sadler said. "It's nice to look back at your accomplishments, and it's also cool to see your old teachers again. I was only at Oak Chan for two years but it was the best. I want to shout out to Mrs. Wallace (fifth grade). She was my favorite teacher, and she made class fun. She was the first teacher that I felt I could really connect with." Laura Moffitt, a former kindergarten teacher at Oak Chan who has been retired for five years, still comes back for grad walk. At least a dozen Vista seniors spoke with and took pictures with her. "This is a way to touch base with a lot of kids I used to teach," Moffitt said. "I love to hear what they're doing and where they're going." The grad walk tradition started a few years ago by a few parents at the school and the torch has been passed along parent to parent. Heading up the GRADitude Committee this year are Vista del Lago parents, GRADitude Committee Chair, Hemi Khatwani, and PTSO President, Keirsten Crowly Brunt ,who coordinated with site staff at Blanche Sprentz, Empire Oaks, Oak Chan, Russell Ranch, Folsom Hills, and Folsom Middle School to make sure schedules aligned, event timing was coordinated, busing secured, and parent permissions granted. "The bridge between the parent and staff communication and involvement is an invaluable component for the ongoing success of this event," said Vista del Lago Principal Kimberly Moore. "Our PTSO makes extra opportunities like the GRADitude Walk possible, not just with funding, but with people power. It takes quite a few organizers to pull this off and we are grateful for the time and energy of our parent volunteers."