A Special Parade: Congratulations, West U Fifth Graders

Everyone loves a parade. And the one that happened Friday morning on Rice and Edloe was especially loveable. 

It was the end of an era for fifth graders graduating from West U Elementary, and the beginning of a new world as they all move on to different middle schools. Out for a walk, I lucked into this joy. I don’t even know any fifth graders graduating, but I was sniffling right along with all the moms and dads – the whole neighborhood, it seemed – as they celebrated their graduates corona-style, socially distant, wearing masks, caravanning in a drive-by.

J.C. Al-Uqdah had been a parent at the school for 11 years. “We’re very grateful for West U,” she reminisced. “This was a good opportunity to celebrate the students, and it was so good seeing all those teachers. We haven’t seen them for a long time.” Her daughter Alyssa is off to St. John’s to join her brother, a junior. Alyssa smiled from the sunroof of her car, decorated with posters and window paint, as her teachers cheered her on to her next adventure. 

Teachers lined up in front of the red brick school, waving pompoms and blowing horns as they congratulated the graduates. Graduates (and dogs) waved from sunroofs, windows and open convertibles. Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy” played from a speaker. Skies were blue. Lemons turned into the most delicious lemonade.