By Thomas Sellers Jr.
About 24 hours before one of the biggest moments of their lives, area seniors from Milington Central High and Bartlett High schools Austin Smith, Spencer Gaia, Hanna Cooper, Allyson Hall, Chelsea Landis, Brianna Henderson, Piper Jacks, Holli Stokes, Kendra Somerville and Cesar Mireles made a trip to where it all started. The group of students started their academic careers a couple of miles away from MCHS at E.A. Harrold Elementary in 2003. That same year a young assistant principal named Mandy Compton joined the staff of then Harrold Principal Tanya Mabry. Mabry, now retired, was invited along with those students by now Principal Compton for the first Senior Walk. As the soon-to-be graduates walked the halls they called home 13 years ago, the seniors were admired in their cap and gown by current Harrold students receiving applause. “This is what it is all about,” Compton said. “Somebody had mention something about a senior walk and it just snowball from there.” Teachers, staff and faculty joined the current students in the hallways to salute the seniors. Compton said just the image of seeing Harrold products reach the big stage of high school graduation will hopefully inspire her current Hornets. “I hope they see they can do the same things,” she said. “One day they will graduate.” As for the her “babies” moments away from graduation, Compton was overjoyed to tears that they still remember E.A. Harrold.
“I know these students are future leaders,” she concluded. “This is our future. They are all our babies. It’s fun to see them go on and be successful. And they haven’t forgot E.A. Harrold, nor their parents.”
