During halftime at the home varsity football game against Mountain Home on September 12, 2025, Canyon Ridge High School held its debut of its new event titled Caps and Kinders: Meet me at the 50.
At halftime, about 35 CRHS seniors lined up at one end of the football field, and about 20 feeder kindergarteners lined up at the other end. As “My Wish” by Rascal Flats played on the field, the students all walked towards each other and met at the 50-yard line. The seniors then gave each kindergartener a small coin with a positive saying written on it.
Feeder kindergarteners are kindergarten students from the five feeder schools, schools whose students will eventually attend CRHS. Those schools include: Oregon Trail, Lincoln, Rock Creek, I.B. Perrine, and Harrison Elementary.
“I got the idea off of a video I saw on TikTok,” said Mrs. Robyn Weatherford, CRHS game manager and head of the Caps and Kinders event. “From what I could see, you just had your seniors line up at one end and you had your kinders line up at the other end, and during halftime we would play a song significant to both of the groups and they would just walk to the 50 and meet.”
The main purposes of Caps and Kinders are community involvement with CRHS, introducing the feeder kindergarteners to the CRHS seniors as a “precursor to the seniors doing their graduation walk in the Spring,” and signifying the end of the seniors’ education and the beginning of the kindergarteners’ education.
“I love the idea of this because it creates the community and culture we are looking for at Canyon Ridge,” said CRHS athletic director, Mr. Chris Waitley.
“At the end of the year, we always do the hawk walk for graduation, that signifies the end of the seniors’ twelve years of education. When I saw [the video] on TikTok, it was the cutest thing, and I thought, ‘That’s a great idea to start the school year with,’” said Weathford. “What I wanted it to signify was the beginning of the end of the seniors, and then the beginning of the kinders. It would be the start of their educational journey, and the end of the seniors’ educational journey.”
CRHS senior Cameron English described his experience participating in Caps and Kinders like this: “It sort of transported me back to my kindergarten self, when I remember seeing the seniors walk through the school and imagining it being so far away. It made me remember a lot about my early school years, too. I liked this event a lot because it brought it around full circle, tying the whole school experience together and really putting it into perspective how far I’ve come.”
Another CRHS senior, Halle Boggess, said, “It was fun to know that I’m leaving a legacy. It feels like I was just in kindergarten, and I imagine all the things these kids are going to experience until they get to my position. I’m excited for them!”
“I felt that it was well received by the parents and the staff. I think the kindergarteners really enjoyed it. They were excited to be down on the football field. I think that’s always an excitement for the kids. I think the seniors were a little apprehensive because they didn’t know what it was supposed to be. But now that they know, I think [next year’s seniors] will be excited to do it,” said Weatherford.
Weatherford plans on continuing Caps and Kinders at CRHS in future years. “I’d like to do it every year, a new tradition. I think every year it will build on itself; that’s my goal. Maybe next year I can get a sponsor to give something different than the coins.”
“As we continue to do this, my hope is more kindergartners and more seniors will participate,” said Waitley.
