MACON — As students across the state graduate from high school, seniors right here in Macon-Bibb are motivating elementary kids to graduate with a turn of their tassel.
Teachers, parents, and more than 100 students looked on as more than 30 Bibb high school seniors walked the halls of Heard Elementary School.
Jessica, Anthony, and Samantha Willing all went to Heard, and said it's surreal to walk the new halls of the rebuilt school.
"It's cool to be here and everything, I wish we were at the Heard we went to, but it's nice that we are here," Jessica Willing said.
The Willings are fraternal triplets who attended Heard together. Anthony and Jessica Willing say the senior walk gives the kids something to look forward to and reminds them how quickly life can move.
"Builds the memories, and helps build that nostalgia," Anthony Willing said. Anthony's sister added, "It just helps the little kids recognize that in a couple of years, they will be here. It seems like whenever they graduate, it's far, far away, even if you're in 5th grade, you still got middle school and high school, but we were just in 5th grade, so now we know," Jessica Willing said.
As the Willings marched down the hall to graduation music, 5th grade students like Gracin Young lined the hallways cheering. Young said seeing the senior walks gives her motivation to be in their shoes one day.
"I would love to see people do that, and it's just important to me because I would love to look like that when I'm older," Young said.
According to assistant principal Lashun Crawford, the reason for this program is to let students like Young know they can achieve graduation.
After this year's successes, according to Crawford, they are already planning for more students at next year's senior walk.