Nostalgia hits everyone in a different way, but it always brings back memories you didn’t even know you were still holding onto. That’s why senior clap outs hit so hard during graduation season. Every year, elementary and middle schools welcome graduating seniors back to walk the halls one last time, and in those moments, seniors really see how far they’ve come.
“[The Senior clap out] is typically a chance for seniors to go back to their elementary school or middle school (in their cap and gown) and walk the halls while the current students clap and cheer them on as they walk the halls,” said Chris Remaley, Math Teacher and Senior Class Advisor at Athens Drive.
The Clap-Outs provide needed closure for these older students, as well as a visual goal for the younger students watching. Middle and elementary school students seeing the end of their 12-year journey can help them understand what their future could look like.
“Going back to the community that you grew up in, it’s honestly a really sweet tradition, and I’m glad that they are incorporating it in Wake County now,” said Ella Sterling, a senior at Athens Drive.
Athens Drive is a magnet school, so not every student will be going to the same elementary school or middle school for their Clap-Out. Some students may have to go to a different county to see their old teachers and classmates.
“I think the Senior Clap-Out is two-fold: bring closure to the seniors and inspire the younger generation…I think it is very important! Both for the senior and the elementary/middle school kid who has a long educational road ahead of them! It is important to see the end of a 12-year school journey,” said Remaley.
For the upperclassmen participating, this experience is like walking down memory lane. Since many students have grown up together, the event is very emotional.
“I’m actually very relieved [about graduating]. It hasn’t hit me yet. I’m definitely not bittersweet about it yet. I am very excited for the next four years and to continue on with my journey,” said Sterling.
Even though there is excitement for the future, walking through the halls gives students time to reflect. Remaley, who has seen decades of graduations, says that this event for students makes graduating feel more real and finalizes the fact that they are starting a new chapter in their lives. With it also comes a moment for them to recognize the effort it took them to get to that new chapter.
“They’re meaningful because I can go back to the communities that I grew up in,” said Sterling.
School is often stressful and exhausting for students. But the clap-out creates bittersweet moments for some students, even with all the bad memories. Those sweet moments often overlap with the bad.
“It means to me that you’re going back to the beginning, but it’s really the end. It’s a full circle moment, and it’s just a very sweet thing. I am very excited to experience it,” said Sterling.
