Pine Trail, Belle Terre elementary schools host senior walks for Volusia, Flagler graduates

ORMOND BEACH — Pine Trail Elementary has always been a “special place” and a “second home” for mother-daughter duo Sandi and Natalie Gilbert.

In fact, Sandi taught at the school while she was pregnant with Natalie and while Natalie attended Pine Trail. Sandi currently serves as a support teacher at the school.

When Natalie, who graduated Seabreeze High School as part of the Class of 2024, reflected on her final days in Volusia County Schools, it was clear that the simplest moments doubled as the most impressionable.

Natalie recalled collecting sticks and planting plants in the courtyard as well as playing on the playground after school. She also remembered feeling “so special” when she could pick up her mom’s mail or visit the teachers' lounge as a young girl.

“It’s been great just seeing her grow up,” Sandi said. “From preschool, learning how to walk in a line, and, you know, her walking in line and trying so hard not to say, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Mommy.’”

On May 21, Natalie and some of her former classmates returned to the start of their academic journeys to participate in Pine Trail's Senior Clap Out.

Soon-to-be graduates from Seabreeze, Mainland and Spruce Creek high schools took a lap around their former stomping grounds while current students and teachers cheered them on.

“It’s nostalgic for the kids — the seniors — that come back and get to see where it all started for them. … They have a strong connection to this place, and … I think it’s important for them to see where they started,” said Pine Trail Principal Charlie Bynum. “But on the flip side of that, I think it’s really important for our kindergarten through fifth grade to see what it’s like to be a senior, to see the cap and gown. I think it’s symbolic enough to have an impact on kids.”

After the walk, Bynum wished the seniors luck as they embark on their next chapter, and encouraged them to hold on to the lessons they learned when they were young.

“They say that these six years have a lot to do with what happens in the next 80 years," Bynum said. “Everything begins right here — your whole journey. And if you just think about that for a moment, this is where you learn how to work well and play well with others. Where to stand in line, how to stand in line. This is how we learn to stand in line at Universal — right here. This is where you learn that. This is where you learn how to hold the door open for somebody. … You learn how to make friends, socialize, you make lifelong friends forever. And if you're lucky enough to come here for six years, like some of you have, you will always remember this place."

About the tradition in Volusia County Schools

This is the second year Pine Trail Elementary has hosted its Senior Clap Out, according to Principal Bynum. However, Danielle Johnson, Volusia’s director of community information, said that there is no record indicating how long this tradition has been in place or which school was the first to participate.

At least 18 Volusia County elementary schools — Citrus Grove, Cypress Creek, DeBary, Deltona Lakes, Discovery, Forest Lake, Freedom, Indian River, Manatee Cove, McInnis, Orange City, Pathways, Pine Trail, Port Orange, Spruce Creek, Starke, Timbercrest, Volusia Pines — held senior walks this year, according to a list based on information provided to The News-Journal. Other schools may have participated, even if it was not indicated on the list, Johnson said.

“Graduating seniors walking the halls of their elementary schools is a cherished tradition in Volusia County Schools because it symbolizes their educational journey coming full circle. It embodies the transition from kindergarten to graduation, encompassing the entire K-12 experience and acknowledging all of the people at every level who played a role in their journey,” Johnson said in an email. “This tradition not only honors the graduates’ accomplishments but also highlights the continuity of learning within the district. It fosters a sense of pride and connection within the community, strengthening bonds between past and present students, teachers and staff.”

Flagler County Schools also hosts annual tradition

At Belle Terre Elementary's senior walk, Stephanie DiGuglielmo watched her twin sons, Ethan and Owen, take one last lap around the halls that they used to walk through each day.

"I'm a teacher at Belle Terre and I've been since they started kindergarten," DiGuglielmo said.

In preparation for the big event, DiGulielmo decorated the hallway outside of her classroom with photos of her sons throughout the years and congratulatory posters that her students colored.

When asked what made the senior walk so special, Owen said, "Seeing all the old teachers and all the memories walking through."

Ethan and Owen have always been together, according to their mom. The brothers graduated from Matanzas High School and will both attend Daytona State College to earn a two-year degree in heating, ventilation, air conditioning/refrigeration mechanic.

All of Flagler Schools' elementary schools — Belle Terre, Bunnell, Old Kings, Rymfire and Wadsworth — as well as Imagine School at Town Center, hosted Seniors Walk the Halls for high school graduates from Matanzas and Flagler-Palm Coast high schools.

Don Foley, Flagler Schools' communications coordinator, did not say when the event first began or which school started the tradition.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Class of '24 seniors walk elementary school halls before graduation