On June 5, more than 120 Emmaus High School seniors made their way on school buses to return to their elementary school at Willow Lane.

They were greeted by several parents who were camera ready to capture this tradition. Grandmother LaShanda Mitchell and her daughter Kaseman Daves were teary-eyed as they hugged Jan’Khi Daves when he stepped off the bus. “That’s my grandson,” she shared, “So proud of him.” They captured the moment as he stood between the colorful crayons that are a feature of Willow Lane Elementary School.

Students entered their elementary school to find the hallways lined with staff and students cheering them on. Some students even made posters for their older siblings.

Nick Lewbart’s brother made him a sign that read, “That’s my brother!” Lewbart carried that sign with him throughout the halls and back to Emmaus.

The seniors bent low, slapping the many little hands celebrating them on each of the school building’s three floors.

Every senior, staff member and all the students wore a smile stretching from ear to ear.

Teachers were given hugs and congratulations to their former students who have now grown into young men and women.

“It is hard to believe they were once this small,” recalled a staff member as the seniors paraded through the halls comparing them to the current students.

The students then made their way to the playground where they could be found swinging on the swings, climbing the apparatus, crossing bridges and sliding the slides. For a moment, they were taken back to the memories of their elementary school days.

Nick Lewbart, Logan Kuder and Evan Bartolemei became friends at Willow Lane and have maintained that friendship throughout their years at Emmaus High School. They captured the moment on the playground as well as inside the school with the school mascot.

As the tradition came to a close and the students boarded the buses to return back to the high school, students Brighton Yu, Jadon Pierre-Philippe, Priya Mancheri, Vanessa Owusu-Anim and Larshee Nyinyi remained for a moment to appreciate the lobby dedication to their former teacher of the gifted students, Julia Dweck. These students contributed to the mosaic of Rubik’s Cubes depicting Dweck that is now part of the lobby at Willow Lane.

“She was an incredible teacher,” Pierre-Philippe recalled. “She did so much for us.”

Although it lasts less than one hour, this tradition creates memories that will last a lifetime. The staff at Willow Lane hopes the friendships made at the school and all the seniors learned will help them lead happy and successful lives.