Cheers and Tears: Ritenour's 2025 Graduates Take One Last Stroll through Elementary & Middle Schools

View all photos from the Senior Walk day. 

Amidst cheers, laughs and tears, Ritenour High School graduating seniors took one last stroll through the halls of RHS, their elementary and middle schools on May 16 as younger students and former teachers and staff members greeted them with cheers and congratulatory signs. 

Donning their caps and gowns, these graduating Huskies found themselves immersed in a whirlwind of emotions, reliving fond memories while bidding adieu to the places that shaped their early years.

For many of the graduating seniors, the celebration wasn’t only about them. It was about their tribute to all the teachers and staff who played a role during their Ritenour journey to help them achieve success and prepare them to cross the stage on May 31. 

Graduating RHS senior Patrick Pitt couldn’t hold back the tears as he walked through Marvin Elementary while also thinking about his next steps in a pre-dentistry program at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

“It’s happy and sad,” Pitt said. “Knowing this is where I started 13 years ago and now I’m at the finish line graduating, it’s really emotional.”  

Some schools had celebrations for the seniors and shared memories from their younger days. 

Approximately 450 members of the class of 2025 will walk across the stage with their diploma on Saturday, May 31 at Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University. The graduation ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are not required.