Bowling Green High School seniors take part in annual ‘Grad Walk’ through feeder schools

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Seniors at Bowling Green High School are spending part of Tuesday morning returning to the schools that shaped their education as part of the district’s annual “Grad Walk,” a tradition in the Bowling Green Independent School District that allows graduating seniors to walk through younger campuses one final time as they near graduation.

The event brings seniors together early in the day at Bowling Green High School for a class photo before they board buses and travel across the district. The coordinated route includes visits to former schools and feeder campuses, where students are greeted by younger grades lining the hallways to cheer them on.

Stops on the route include Bowling Green Junior High School as well as district elementary schools such as Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, where many seniors first began their academic journey. At each stop, seniors walk through hallways as students and staff celebrate their upcoming graduation.

For seniors, the experience is often emotional and reflective, offering a chance to look back on their time in the district. Senior Kori Ware described the moment as especially nostalgic while walking through familiar hallways one last time.

“It feels very nostalgic,” Ware said. “I had a lot of memories here… I met a lot of good people. Seeing teachers and everything again just brings that back.”

Ware, who plans to attend Berea College to study engineering and continue her basketball career, said the experience also serves as a reminder of how quickly school years pass. “Don’t take the time for granted,” she said. “It flies by fast.”

Another senior, Cayden Dunn, said returning to earlier schools created a sense of coming full circle, connecting his earliest educational experiences to graduation.

“It feels very full circle,” Dunn said. “Everything we do throughout education is built on top of each other, like a pyramid. To be back at the base where I learned my foundational skills, it just feels right.”

Dunn plans to attend Dartmouth College, where he will major in government and German.

The Grad Walk remains a district tradition meant to connect graduating seniors with younger students who will one day follow in their footsteps, turning familiar hallways into a celebration of both endings and new beginnings.