Neighborhood school achieves a community environment between students, teachers, parents.

AUBURN – A Celebration of Learning will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the Walton Elementary School, 92 Mary Carroll St.

Most think of Edward Little High School football games and Parks and Recreation soccer games when they think of Walton School. Many long-time locals remember going to ninth grade at the 69-year-old building.

But for the past five years, Walton has been home to neighborhood elementary students. Its current principal served as one of Auburn’s leaders in the city’s move toward full-day kindergarten. And now, the students at Walton are looking forward to showing the community how much more there is other than sports fields.

On Thursday, May 8, Walton students in grades kindergarten through six will showcase their work at the first-ever Celebration of Learning. Students will have the opportunity to see their own work on display and the projects of their peers and other classes as they tour the gallery during the school day.

Parents and the community are encouraged to see the sights later in the evening. The goal of PTO, staff and students is to encourage pride in school and personal accomplishments.

Before Walton made the switch to a K-6 school, neighborhood children lacked a sense of community as they were dispersed to Sherwood Heights, Great Falls School, Western Avenue School and Central School.

The community environment is achieved, in part, by the school’s official “Responsive Classroom” program. The school received a grant to train its teachers in the nurturing classroom management philosophy, which implements core values important to parents and Maine educators. “The classroom really becomes a family,” said Tom Deschaine, school principal. “And there is a sense of community with parents, as well.”

Deschaine has worn various hats in the Auburn school system for 27 years and has worked to make the district’s full-day kindergarten program successful. Following the National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines, Auburn education leaders have made the full day appropriate for the needs of kindergartners. “We didn’t want it to be a junior first grade,” said Deschaine. “The kids at this age really do have different needs.”

Other Walton highlights include regular field trips to the beach, an apple orchard, a symphony, Auburn’s Land Lab and a community-building excursion at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset.