School’s Out: Mount Ulla Elementary’s fifth-graders end the school year with bittersweet excitement
Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 10, 2017
Angel Sanchez, 11, left, Reese Brown, 9, middle, and Austin Page, 9, right, eat ice-cream on Mount Ulla Elementary's last day of school. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Second-grade students get their ice-cream during an ice cream party on Mount Ulla Elementary's last day of school. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Kindergarten students help their teacher Karen Coggins stack chairs in the hallway on Mount Ulla Elementary. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Kindergarten students hug their teacher Stacey Webb. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Students line up and load the busses on Mount Ulla Elementary's last day of school. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Assistant Principal Greg Kuhn hugs a student. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
Teachers and staff wave as the children ride away on school buses on Mount Ulla Elementary's last day of school. Kristi Craven/Salisbury Post
By Savannah Morgan
intern@salisburypost.com
Chairs and desks lined the halls of Mount Ulla Elementary School by the time the final bell rang Friday afternoon.
Many students, finished with exams and ready for the summer, left the school even before the official end of the year. But several stayed around — soaking up all the feel-good, last-day-of-school vibes.
The end of the school year brings a variety of feelings for students, but for two fifth-graders, the most prevalent were excitement and nervousness.
“I’m excited to play in the band, but I’m going to miss my teachers” said Kalah Massey. “I’m also a little nervous.”
Sam Gulledge shared the same sentiment, but he said he looks forward to seeing new faces next year at a new school
“I’m kinda sad and kinda happy,” said Sam. “I’m going to miss playing with my friends, but I’m excited about making new friends.”
The fifth-graders also looked back on some of their fondest memories from the year.
“My favorite part of elementary school was when the kindergartners gave us a treat to pass our EOGs,” said Massey. “They gave us airheads, smarties and popsicles.”
Despite their anxieties about attending a new school and their sadness about leaving a familiar place, Sam and Kalah were nothing but smiles — craving the fun and freedom of summertime, no doubt.
Fifth-grade teacher Gail McCarty said it’s always bittersweet at the end of the school year.
“I’m always excited for my fifth-graders, but I usually cry,” McCarty said. “This year’s group has really grown a lot, and I’m excited to see where they’ll go.”
Even though students and teachers may have shared some tears, they shared something else, too — memories for a lifetime.
