14-05-2025
Waukegan seniors visit elementary schools to inspire students; ‘It's a passing of the torch'
Some members of the Waukegan High School senior class dressed in their caps and gowns, participating in Return to Your Roots Day, took it literally, joining students at their former elementary schools for recess, while others took the opportunity to connect with younger relatives.
Alexa Guzman hopped on a merry-go-round with a group of fourth graders during recess at Lion Magnet Elementary School, as one of her classmates pushed her around, as a group of young students clung to their teenage guest.
'I was reliving my childhood,' she said. 'It was crazy; real crazy.'
Guzman said that after she graduates Friday, she plans to attend the College of Lake County (CLC) and become a preschool teacher. Helping children is a passion she intends to turn into a profession.
'I like being around little kids,' she said. 'I want to try to help them, and give them a good start in school.'
Not long after Guzman got off the merry-go-round, she took off her cap and gown and ran around the playground with three of the younger students.
When Valeria Rodriguez arrived at Lion Elementary, where she was once an elementary school student, she said she was looking for one student in particular — fifth grader Caleb Rodriguez, her brother.
'I came to see him,' she said. 'It was very emotional,' she added after they connected in the hallway. 'I want to give him something to look forward to.'
'It was real cool,' Caleb said. 'I'm going to try to be like her.'
Rodriguez and Guzman were among the 120 Waukegan High seniors participating in the second-annual Return to Your Roots Day on Tuesday, going to the elementary schools they once attended to remind the students there of where their schooling started and inspire the youngsters.
Seniors started the day by boarding one of four buses at Weiss Field, where they will graduate Friday. Each bus took the teens to three or four elementary schools, covering all 15 in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60.
Andy Kramer, the principal at Whittier Elementary School, said Return to Your Roots Day gives seniors a chance to remember their younger school days and gives his students something to look forward to.
'It's a passing of the torch,' he said. 'They're coming back to familiar surroundings. They can see things that are still here. It celebrates the kids as they go to the next step in their life.'
Family connections were abundant. When the seniors arrived at Whittier, they were greeted outside the door by Amber Sanchez, a paraprofessional. Each was handed a balloon. The teens began to inflate them.
'As you walk through the school, find someone special to give it to,' Sanchez said. 'Give them something so they remember you.'
Giselle Gomez, a senior heading to CLC to become a nurse, knew precisely who she wanted to give her balloon — her niece, fourth grader Adriana Sanchez. Gomez spotted Sanchez as she paraded through the halls with her classmates, and handed her the balloon.
'I was excited and happy when she came by,' Adrianna said. 'It was a 9.9,' she added, referring to joy on a scale of one to 10.
'I feel proud I was able to do this,' Gomez said.
As Damaris Melgoza walked through the halls of Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School to the cheers of students holding their hands out, hoping for a high five, first-grade teacher Berenice Fajardo handed her a bouquet of roses.
'My aunt is a teacher here. She gave them to me,' Melgoza said, referring to Fajardo. 'I'm feeling very, very old now. My message to them is never give up.'
Fajardo gushed with pride over her niece. She said Melgoza is among the top 10 students in her high school graduating class. She is excited for Melgoza, as is the rest of the family.
'She is going to do amazing things,' Fajardo said.
Melgoza said she will be attending Dennison University in Granville, Ohio, in the fall. She plans to major in biology and then go to medical school to become a cardiologist.
Neisa Escamilla, who went to Washington Elementary School, will study business at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Annabelle Rivera, a onetime Cooke student, will head to Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to major in women's health and gender studies. When they got to Lion, it was time for recess.
Both Escamilla and Rivera said once they got to middle school, recess was a thing of the past. They had fond memories from their younger days as they each sat in a swing next to each other.
'I used to have to fight to get a swing,' Rivera said. 'Now, I was just able to come and sit here. I'm enjoying it.'
'I get to enjoy recess one last time,' Escamilla added.
