From Kindergarten to 5th-grade in a Flash, Sunrise Drive Students and Principal Reach Milestones

Six years ago, the Sunrise Drive Kindergarten class walked through the doors and were greeted by someone who was also new to the elementary school that year, Principal Dr. James Foy.

It was an exciting year for the children and their new principal. Year-after-year, the students returned to Sunrise Drive, meeting new teachers and making friends and every year Dr. Foy welcomed them. Each year, they learned and grew in a nurturing environment and enjoyed how their principal was an interactive presence in their lives. Now, after all those lessons, activities, challenges, and adventures that created wonderful memories, the Fifth-graders are moving up this year and will have to say good-bye to Dr. Foy.

But for some, it would be good-bye with a pleasant surprise, thanks to a kindergarten project conceived by Mrs. Joy Gavin (Cooper’s mom) and Mrs. Kara Holbrook (Elle’s mom) when they were class moms for Heather Heuer’s Kindergarten.

“We had put together,” Mrs. Gavin explained, “at the end of the year, a Time Capsule for those children to open in fifth grade. In that capsule each child had the following items:

• A tracing and cutout of their hand; 
• A heart cutout that read “this is how tall I am in kindergarten 2017.” (We had measured them with yarn and attached it to the heart.);
• A Kindergarten picture headshot taken by Mrs. Heuer for her “Super Stars” display;
• Answers to questions—handwritten in their fledgling kindergarten style-- like what was their favorite activity or book; what was their shoe size and height; where would they like to travel, what were their goals and who were their friends?
• A self-portrait drawing.”
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This year, Mrs. Gavin made arrangements with the Fifth-grade students who had been in Mrs. Heuer’s Kindergarten class to get together to open the Time Capsule on June 13, 2022. “While coordinating this.” Mrs. Gavin continued, “it dawned on me that Dr. Foy started at Sunrise Drive with this graduation class as they entered Kindergarten. That got me to thinking that while I am at the school on the 13th opening the Time Capsule, it would be great to get one big class picture with Dr. Foy and this graduating class that started with him on his first year at Sunrise Drive.” Mrs. Gavin wanted to surprise Dr. Foy and coordinated the plan with Mrs. Knox and all the fifth-grade teachers to make it happen.

And what a surprise it was! Not only was it heartwarming to watch the students and their "expressions and excitement as they opened each item, Dr. Foy loved every minute of it!” Mrs. Gavin added, “He went to each group of kids and looked through all their items.”

And thanks to Sunrise Drive’s Walter Stepnowski, Computer Tech manager and onsite photographer, Dr. Foy and the Moving-up Fifth graders have more great memories, preserved in pictures, from their shared Sunrise Drive experience.

 “A picture is worth a thousand words.”