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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Massive rehearsal planned for Northwest mega-quake, tsunami ... Mental health plan stymied by lack of space ... Ticket availability ... Massive rehearsal planned for Northwest mega-quake, tsunami ... Mental health plan stymied by lack of space ... Ticket availability ... EDUCATION A walk to remember Ashland High School seniors visit former elementary school as part of grad-day celebration Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 5:59 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 5:59 PM » Social News As Ashland High School seniors, soon-to-be graduates, paraded down the halls of Bellview Elementary School on Friday morning, a boy in a red T-shirt and basketball shorts broke out of his Bellview pack and hugged one of the passing seniors, a girl in a white cap and gown. It was a spontaneous gesture, and the girl returned the embrace, looked back, realized she had no idea who the boy was and shrugged her shoulders at nobody in particular as if to say, “That was unexpected, but cool.” It was one of many surprise embraces and wide-eyed reactions at elementary schools throughout Ashland on Friday, as AHS seniors preceded their graduation walk, scheduled for Friday evening, with a jaunt down memory lane at whichever elementary school they called home before trading cubby holes for lockers. Following the 10 a.m. graduation rehearsal at the Lithia Park Bandshell, the seniors hopped in the appropriate school bus bound for their former stomping grounds, where their kindergarten-through-fifth grade counterparts had been preparing to go nuts. The grade-schoolers, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, had already lined the hallway at Bellview 10 minutes before the bus loaded with AHS seniors pulled into the bus ramp. Some held signs. A girl in a pink tanktop held one that read: “We don’t think there’s any better school anywhere else.” Another simply read: “Welcome to Bellview.” The hallways crackled with anticipation moments before Bellview Principal Christine McCollum, leading the seniors in, walked through the back door and cheers erupted as the first Ashland High student followed her. Bellview students lined both sides of the hall and the Ashland High seniors walked down the middle gauntlet style, high-fiving hands that jutted out at random and occasionally leaving the trail to hug a former teacher they recognized or, in some cases, a younger sibling. Ashland’s first graduation walk wasn’t an original idea exactly. Bellview Parent-Teacher Organization President Heather Loring said a picture describing a similar celebration in Texas bounced around Facebook about a month ago and inspired her and a few other parents to do whatever it took to make it happen in Ashland. They soon approached McCollum and before long Walker Elementary Principal Tiffany Burns was on the phone with Ashland High Principal Erika Bare. "My son’s a second-grader," Loring said before the seniors arrived, "and he's just really excited, like, 'That’s going to be me some day.'" Every school will likely have its own twist to the celebration, McCollum explained. At Bellview, they decided to pattern the event after another tradition which she expected the seniors to recognize. “We have an old tradition from when those kids were here that on Halloween we do a ghost walk,” she said. “And this is the format that we’ve used for the ghost walk. And so we’re just going to do it ghost-walk style. We used to line up in the halls in the costumes and then they’d all walk around and look at each other’s costumes. And so that’s what we’re going to do, only it will be with the graduates. They will remember that, I’m sure.” Ethan White shared dozens of high fives as he walked the halls of his former school, but at least three were extra special. His younger brother is a fourth-grader, his sister is a second-grader and the man who served as his teacher for three years, Max Schmeling, now teaches fifth grade at Bellview and was also cheering with the rest of the crowd Friday. “I gave (my siblings) hugs,” White said. “It’s a cool feeling, because I remember being here. And all my friends from the classes are all here, too. It’s really nostalgic. Bellview was the best of the elementary schools, in my opinion.” White and the rest of the class of 2016 was the group that spent their fifth-grade year at Ashland Middle School while Bellview was being rebuilt. Amanda Fremming said it was a great experience, even though she didn’t have memories attached to the building itself. “It was pretty crazy seeing all my old teachers,” she said. “I went to the old Bellview before they remodeled it, but still seeing all the teachers and everything, and the gym — they still have all the same decorations and everything so it still felt the same. It was crazy seeing all the teachers. It definitely did (take me back), seeing all the kids and remembering that I was that little one time and graduation didn’t seem like a thing. … I didn’t think (the students) would be so excited to see us, but I’m glad they got to see us and see what they’ve got to look forward to.” “It’s hard to imagine I was ever that small,” added senior Baylin Stich. After the walk, the seniors congregated near a refreshments table set up at the Bellview entrance. Some hung out a little longer and talked about old times. Inside the school, the elementary students were headed to the cafeteria for their lunch break. Kara Johnson, a fast-talking fifth-grader with freckles and a quick smile, said she was especially excited about the day because she knew she would see a friend who trains with her in the same gymnastics class. “It was really fun,” she said, “because we were all screaming and clapping our hands.” Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Zavala99. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 3, 2016 at 5:59 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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