A New Vestavia Tradition: The Senior Parade

This week, a new Vestavia tradition began. As graduation inches closer, seniors at Vestavia Hills High School are eager to walk the stage and begin their adult lives. But, before that, they had the ability to look back on their time in the Vestavia school system and say “thank you” and “farewell” to the faculty and staff that helped them on their journey.

Walking down from the Junior Lot, it was hard to miss the sea of blue caps and gowns, and the large, yellow school buses. The senior class would soon set off to where their education journey began: their elementary schools. The excitement and anticipation was electric. They loaded their respective buses, and were transported back to their childhoods.

The students and faculty at all of the elementary schools, as well as the high school, put in so much effort and hard work to make this event special for all of the seniors. “It was such an awesome, full circle moment,” says Leah Norris, a senior who walked in the parade at VH West Elementary School. “It was so touching to see how excited the kids were and how much work the school put in to make it a fun experience for us.”

The seniors walked the halls lined with students waving, cheering, and wishing them the best in their journey after high school. They hugged former teachers, and recreated pictures with old friends. Yearbook pictures from their time in Kindergarten through fifth grade were hanging on the walls, reminding them of the times they walked the halls as young students. Emotions ranged from wide smiles to happy tears, the parade both sentimental and nostalgic.

The moment was not only meaningful to seniors, but to many of their younger siblings who attend the elementary schools. “I’m so happy I got to have that experience with [my sister],” says Norris, sharing her feelings about seeing her sister during the parade. “I absolutely loved that I got to see her.”

From East, to West, to Cahaba Heights, and Liberty Park, every elementary school helped create a lasting memory for Vestavia’s seniors.