Graduating Class of 2023 Returns to Tommie Barfield Elementary

On May 25th, the day before the Class of 2023 would graduate and turn their tassels, Tommie Barfield Elementary School (TBE) opened its doors to the students to walk through the halls one last time. Former Tommie Barfield students in the 2023 graduating class from Naples High School, Lely High School, and Marco Island Academy, were welcomed with hand-drawn signs and congratulations from the many students and faculty lining the hallways.

Clad in their caps and gowns, the graduates made their way from the school’s entrance to the exit gate, traveling through the halls and revisiting the home of their elementary school memories and experiences. A few of the teachers at TBE, including fifth-grade teachers Ms. Jewett and Mrs. Peña, are teachers who have been employed at the school long enough to have taught many of the students in the graduating class of 2023.

Students gave out high-fives, hugs, and congratulations, and then all of the graduates gathered in front of the school for a group photo by the Tommie Barfield Elementary School sign. Not only were graduates able to come back to their elementary school and greet the students and staff, but they also got the chance to catch up with peers in their graduating class who attended different high schools. 

Holding the grad walk at TBE is a tradition that sparks inspiration in the young students to work hard and achieve their goals to be able to graduate high school and pursue their dreams. A fourth-grade teacher at TBE, Sheli Lowrie remarks “Seeing my own child walk the halls one last time, in the school she started in, and that I teach in, filled me with pride and hope for our future as my students looked up to her as a role model.”