For Melissa Guillot, Monday was a bittersweet day as she watched her children dressed in their caps and gown process to the music of &uot;Pomp and Cicumstance.&uot;

The second-year kindergarten teacher at Ferriday Lower Elementary School stood proudly with her 18 students in front of a small crowd of parents and grandparents.

Despite all the fidgeting with tassles, a few nervous tears and an occasional yawn, seeing her children ready to march into a new grade made for an emotional event for Guillot.

&uot;It was hard, but I held back the tears,&uot; Guillot said after the service Monday. &uot;Last year I cried.&uot;

Showing off their skills with the colors and the alphabet, the kindergarteners celebrated the end of their first full year in school.

Parents beamed as each child walked up to receive their kindergarten certificate.

&uot;I am excited for them,&uot; kindergarten teacher Bertha Hall said.

For assistant principal Sheila Alwood the kindergarten graduation marks an important time in the students’ education.

&uot;The world is getting ready to open up to you because you are going to start reading,&uot; Alwood said to the tiny graduates. &uot;You can learn anything when you learn to read.&uot;

With flashes popping and video cameras rolling, the moment may have been lost on the little learners.

When asked if they were excited about going to the first grade, Kalan Washington and his friends shrugged their shoulders with a smile at the end of the ceremony.

With that, the graduating class shed their caps and gowns and raced to the playground to focus on more important things.

Summer has officially begun. First grade can wait for a couple of months.