Acorns to Oak Trees Bring the Poly Experience Full Circle

Every day, Rusty Buchanan’s first-grade class begins with calendar math. Students count the number of school days and identify whether the numbers are multiples of smaller numbers. During Senior Week, the routine looked a little different as members of the Class of 2026 joined the lesson, helping first graders solve problems and work through the exercise together. For some seniors, it marked a return to the same classroom they sat in more than a decade earlier.

“It’s pretty surreal to be back in the Lower School,” said Will O. ’26. “When we got our classroom assignments, I hoped to get Mr. Buchanan because he taught one of the most memorable classes I’ve had at Poly.”

Acorns to Oak Trees is a longstanding Poly tradition that gives graduating seniors the chance to spend a morning with Lower School students. The event allows seniors to reconnect with their early years at Poly while giving younger students a glimpse of what being Upper School students might look like.

Across North Campus, seniors joined classroom activities, shared introductions, and talked about their favorite memories from Lower School. In Rusty Buchanan’s class, seniors recalled making gingerbread houses, studying the ocean through art projects, and biking to school. First graders were quick to point out which traditions still exist and how some parts of the curriculum have changed over time.

“Sitting in the chair I sat in 12 years ago, it feels a bit smaller than I remember,” said Matthew T. ’26. “I have a lot of fun memories from here.”

For our Lower School students, the day was equally exciting.

“It’s fun to meet seniors and make friends with them,” said Austin G. ’37. “It’s fun because we get to know their names and favorite memories from first grade.”

Student Community Engagement Coordinator Renée Larios has helped organize the event for 13 years. What began as an effort to build stronger connections between divisions has become a meaningful part of Senior Week.

“Seniors have been so focused on college, and to see them cracking up and playing with the littles, it’s like the weight of their journey is finally off and they can just play,” Renée said. “Seeing the older students connect with the little kids is great. They relate to them, and they respect them.”

Throughout the morning, seniors participated in activities across North Campus. In the library, kindergarteners gathered with seniors for a read-aloud. In Alan Wellman’s music classroom, students sang along to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” In Hernán Serruya’s Spanish class, seniors joined younger students in classroom games.

For Anastasia A. ’26, returning to Linda Breen’s fifth-grade classroom was especially meaningful. Anastasia joined the Poly community in fifth grade, making the visit a full-circle moment. Current students were eager to ask her about performing in the school musical and what Upper School life is like.

"It's been really fun to have the seniors in their old classrooms. Also, I saw a lot of them in the musical this year, like Anastasia," said Leela K. ’33.

Linda noted that many seniors also shared honest reflections about uncertainty and change. Some talked openly about still deciding what they want to study or what direction they hope to take after graduation. For fifth graders preparing to enter Middle School, those conversations offered reassurance that growth continues after life at Poly.

As students gathered in the library near the end of the morning, Yvette Pompa reflected on the atmosphere around the room.

“When you see activities like this,” she said, “you think, ‘This is Poly. This is why we do it.’”