DIXON, CA (MPG) - Sometimes seeing is believing. That was the message passed from 50 Dixon High School and Maine Prairie High students dressed in their flowing green or maroon graduation gowns to every Dixon elementary school student this past week in the inaugural Senior Parade.

In turn, all the children from every grade in Anderson, Tremont, and Gretchen Higgins Elementary Schools cheered, shook pom-poms, and held posters congratulating the students. Many of the signs read, “Congratulations Class of 2022!” and “You made it!” One held by a bespectacled youth read, “I hope you go to your dream college!”

The bus full of students who signed up for the ‘Senior Parade’ travelled from school to school to meet long lines of much younger students who were waiting to see who had come from their school or identify grown up pals from sports, scouts, their neighborhoods, and churches. It was organized by Shawntel McCammon, DUSD Coordinator of Outreach and Engagement.

“When you see these little kids looking up to the big kids, I could just feel the power connection,” she said. The tears started for her as soon as they got off the bus. “This is what we did in our town back home in South Carolina and I knew I had to do this when I was a Principal.”

It was called the ‘Senior to Elementary Parade’ and McCammon did not get to realize her dream while she was Gretchen Higgins Principal for several years but this year, she made it happen.

“It’s the big motivating the little and it says, I went through the system and now I’m graduating.” She added with enthusiasm, “It’s a really big deal where I'm from and I’m elated.”

Career fields represented by the grads were metal fabrication, technology, nursing, the job corps, graphic design, political science, and Animal Cruelty Investigation to name a few.

Colleges or secondary education listed were Sacramento City, Sacramento State, Chico State, UC Davis, UC San Francisco, Grand Canyon University, Napa Community, Woodland Community, Simpson University, CSU Fullerton, Princeton University, as well as University of Idaho, Oklahoma, Reno, Nevada, and Puget Sound. Also, schools for the CHP, Air Force, and dental school.

DUSD Superintendent Brian Dolan walked with the grads.

“We can’t hide our Dixon Pride!” he posted on social media. “Our Coordinator of Outreach and Engagement organized a Seniors to Elementary Parade with the assistance of the principals at the elementary and high school sites.”