Fox Creek grads look for inclusion in elementary ‘senior walk’
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A conflict in Aiken County schools is gaining attention from some of the South Carolina State House.
For Colton Walker, Madyson Thatcher and Cassidy Manor, their senior year at Fox Creek High School has been full of traditions.
“There’s been a ton of highs,” said Walker.
Since they don’t attend a high school in the Aiken County School District, they’ve been told they aren’t able to participate in their senior walk.
The senior walk allows you to walk the hallways of where you went to elementary school.
For this group, they all attended Belvedere Elementary School.
Manor said: “Knowing that you’ve gone to that school and all these other graduates got to walk and now that we can’t walk, it’s just heartbreaking, to be honest.”
Walker said: “For nine years, I was a gigantic part of Aiken County. Now, they’ve kind of looked at us and shunned us so it really kind of hurt.”
Thatcher spends some of her time volunteering to teach students to dance at Belvedere Elementary. She says she’s always wanted to give back to her elementary school.
“All I do for them and they won’t do one single thing for us seniors at Fox Creek,” said Thatcher.
Some of the South Carolina House of Representatives wrote to the district saying, “In the spirit of community and inclusion of all students, we seek reversal of this puzzling decision.”
When News 12 asked the school district for clarification, they responded with this statement:
“Thank you for reaching out to clarify the information that you saw on social media. Superintendent Laurence has addressed the confusion indicated in the House ’ letter received via email yesterday regarding visitation rights to Aiken County’s public elementary schools and, more specifically, participation of students outside of our school system in an Aiken County high school senior tradition.
In his correspondence to Representatives, he clarified that our public school offices and other areas, as needed and appropriate, are open to outside visitors following their compliance of entry protocols in place to ensure the safety and orderly operation of our schools. Participation in events and special recognitions held on our school campuses are often restricted to honorees being celebrated and invited guests.
Aiken County Public Schools’ “Senior Walk” began organically a few years ago when a handful of our high school principals planned the celebration collaboratively with their feeder elementary school leaders. It’s grown considerably to a district tradition that all of our district’s high school seniors have the opportunity participate in. The growth in participation necessitated our district’s adoption last year of parameters to ensure the safety of the events on our elementary school campuses and ability for our high school senior participants.
We, too, celebrate the accomplishment of all graduates, whether or not they complete their K-12 academic journey in our district’s schools or elsewhere. Our district is certainly open to including partner high schools’ students, but would insist in doing so in collaboration with their charter/private/home school district leaders to ensure the safety of the event and its participants, including high school students travelling to and from our elementary campuses. Superintendent Laurence has personally ed the leaders of those districts and looks forward to accommodating their desires concerning the celebration of their graduates.”
The students say this event is about reconnecting.
“To get back with everybody from the old elementary school that went to North Augusta, Fox Creek, wherever they went to high school. We all get to be together one last time to walk around and reminisce on the good ole days,” said Walker.
The senior walk is scheduled for Belvedere Elementary School on May 28.
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