Fifth-Graders Leave Lasting Impression
Graduating fifth-graders at Woodlake Avenue Elementary School on Friday left behind a lasting legacy: their handprints and initials in cement.
“They wanted to leave something positive behind,” said Susanne Van Dyke, whose son, Timothy, is among 90 fifth-graders who will be in middle school next year.
Timothy, she said, watches the news every morning and “hears about kids being bad and vandalizing things, and he wanted to show that kids at this school are not like that.”
The cement plot is located in the Woodlake Community Children’s Garden in front of the school.
Every year fifth-graders leave some type of departing gift, which is prominently displayed, said Principal Mary Kurzeka.
“One year they left a mural, and another year they did a quilt,” she said.
A side benefit of the tradition is that it shows students of the Woodland Hills school that they are important, she said.
Friday’s activity was organized by parents; the children came up with the idea of leaving their handprints and initials in cement, officials said.
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