Senior Tour 2019 — Valley Creek Elementary welcomes the Senior Tour!

McKinney, Texas – They arrive each year on two blue and white McKinney ISD buses to a reception that invariably includes a multitude of cheering students, handmade signs, high fives and—at some point—a drum line.

On Feb. 20, it was the MHS Royal Pride drum line who helped kick things off as the eighth annual MISD Senior Adult Tour buses glided to a stop on the drive outside the just-opened McKinney High School Performing Arts Center (PAC) where rank upon rank of pompom-wielding Marquettes and the aforementioned percussionists waited to greet the 70 or so senior adults as they disembarked.

“The Senior Tour is always one of the best days of the year because it’s great to see the smiles on the senior adults’ faces,” said MISD Board member Stephanie O’Dell. “The kids at the high school love cheering on the seniors as they get off the bus, and the elementary kids especially love interviewing the senior adults. Everybody learns from each other. It’s a wonderful experience.”

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marquettes

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at MHS

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marquettes

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Royal Pride Drum Line

The theme for this year’s tour was the 2016 Bond and some of the completed projects that were funded by it. On the itinerary was the stop at MHS, a visit to the new MISD Stadium and Community Event Center and activities with students at Valley Creek Elementary School, which has recently undergone a campus-wide refresh.

MHS Principal Alan Arbabi was there to welcome the tour guests and lead them into the PAC’s newly-dubbed Sperry Performance Hall where the school’s Harmony choir ensemble was waiting to perform the national anthem. Then, the orchestra took over with a stirring piece that made full use of the auditorium’s world class acoustics.

Senior Tour 2019 — Harmony in the Sperry Performance Hall

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Orchestra in the Sperry Performance Hall

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Orchestra in the Sperry Performance Hall

Senior Tour 2019 — Sperry Performance Hall

From there, the tour split into groups for a diving demonstration in the recently renovated Sam Serio Natatorium, precision marching and rifle twirling by the always-impressive MHS Marine Corps JROTC cadets and dance numbers by the Marquettes in their newly expanded and revitalized dance studio.

Senior Tour 2019 — The Sam Serio Natatorium at MHS

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marine Corps JROTC Cadets

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marine Corps JROTC Cadets

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marquettes in new dance studio

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marquettes in new dance studio

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Marquettes in new dance studio

The tour also took in the recently made-over MHS indoor, multi-purpose athletic facility and then returned to the PAC for three, fantastic theatre performances that would conclude their time at the district’s largest high school.

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Multi-Purpose Athletic Facility

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Multi-Purpose Athletic Facility

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Theatre Performance in Sperry Performance Hall

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Theatre in the Sperry Performance Hall

Senior Tour 2019 — MHS Theatre Performance in Sperry Performance Hall

With that, they were back on the buses and zipping off to lunch at the new MISD Stadium and Community Event Center. With Assistant Athletic Directors Jennifer Frazier, Laura Keahey and Corey Homer leading the way, groups wound their way through the locker rooms and team facilities and then out onto the field to take in the breathtaking view from a player’s perspective. Then, they made their way to the highest point in the stadium to check out the view from the state of the art press box.

Senior Tour 2019 — MISD Stadium & Community Event Center

Senior Tour 2019 — MISD Stadium & Community Event Center

The day’s final stop was at Valley Creek Elementary, where they were met by a tidal wave of happy vibes that swept them along through the school’s main corridor filled with sign-waving, cheering kids. They ended up in the cafeteria where they were treated to a choir performance, and then they were whisked off to classrooms all over the school to explore the world of Valley Creek.

“We are so thankful to be able to share our school today with the senior adults of McKinney,” said Principal Megan Richards. “We benefited from the recent bond election, and we were able to take the senior adults all around our campus to spend time with our students and see all of our updates and the refreshed, new parts of the school.

“The kids have done wonderfully,” Richards added. “They came out from the very beginning with their signs, with enthusiasm and they’ve been showing our visitors how to do a lot of different activities that they get to do here at school every day.”

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Arrival at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Valley Creek Elementary Choir

To that end, the Valley Creek students and their guests explored space and the deep sea through virtual reality goggles and Google Expeditions. In art class, they tried their hand at origami.

“Just try your best,” one student advised when the folding got complicated.

They took part in student interviews and visited the learning commons and the choir room and kindergarten classrooms to see how the school’s renovation and technology upgrades where being deployed day to day to enhance student learning.

Senior Tour 2019 — Valley Creek Elementary Virtual Learning

Senior Tour 2019 — Interviews at Valley Creek Elementary

Senior Tour 2019 — Origami at Valley Creek Elementary

Before they knew it, the tour had come to its conclusion, and it was time to climb back aboard the buses.

Judy Collins is something of a Senior Tour veteran. “Well, this is my fifth tour,” she said. “What the bond has done is absolutely marvelous for the children today—a necessary thing and something that we, even the seniors, appreciate going on for the community and for our future generation … So, I go home, and I spread the word. To my grandchildren who are at the high school, I tell them, ‘Guys, you should be so proud.’”

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