A sweet year in kindergarten: Baccus kindergarteners show ‘character’ during graduation ceremony

Individual personalities and characters shined through during the Nettie Baccus Elementary School kindergarten graduation ceremony on May 23.

Coinciding with the campus theme of “Livin’ the Sweet Life at Baccus,” the graduation ceremony proved that it’s been a “sweet year” for the Baccus kindergarten class of 2023.

“Kinder always makes you smile, but this kinder group, their giggles, their laughter… they love being here, and I love seeing them every morning and every day,” said Baccus Principal Julie Rohleder. “They have such great fun personalities, and a lot of laughter and a lot of giggles; it's my favorite part of kindergarten.”

All 69 students at Baccus Elementary performed three songs: “ABC U Later,” “Count on Me,” and “First Grade Here We Come,” — the latter being a parody of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.”

Following the presentation of the diplomas from teachers Amy Green, Deidre Payne, Morgan Taylor, and Lynsey Woods, the ceremony concluded with a photo slideshow of the kids throughout the year.

“I just love kinder because they're just open and honest," Rohleder said. “They shoot you straight, and that's what makes it fun. I just want them to be who they are.”

Rohleder said she has loved seeing the transformation in this class from the beginning of the year to now, crediting a lot of the growth to the Emma Roberson Early Learning Academy.

"We had a lot of kids coming from Emma, and they had pre-K there and transitioned into our school, and it made a world of difference with behaviors and academics, so it was kind of cool to see how that worked effectively for them,” she said. “The pre-K program is really a big deal for us to have now in the district. The growth of behaviors (also) in student led conferences, that's always fun to watch with kindergarten because they learn how to tell their parents how they're doing in school. The growth in those folders when you visually look at them and see how well the kids did has been really great to see.”

Baccus Assistant Principal Melissa Shipp said there are some “definite characters” in the kindergarten class, emphasizing that she meant “characters” in a good way.

“They just make you laugh,” she said. “They're comedians, they're well behaved, they're sweet. This group likes to make you proud, and I feel like they live life to the fullest.”

"They are just a great group of kids,” Rohleder added. “They've learned a lot this year, and I expect great things from them in the future.”