A handful of teenagers jumped for joy at a high school graduation ceremony in Louisville, Ohio, and then went viral—because a touching video of their celebratory leap was posted online, and the footage had been secretly spliced into a tear-jerking collage.
It’s been melting millions of hearts across the globe since late May.
One very clever editor had something up her sleeve, splicing footage of kindergarteners making their own young leap—a leap across years—into the video collage, symbolizing a full 13-year career at Louisville City Schools. In kindergarten they spring up; at graduation they touch down.
“Blink, and you’ll miss it,” the caption announces.
“I asked each kindergarten teacher if I could borrow two students to film outside in the hallway. It took less than five minutes,” Louisville City Schools spokesperson Jen Wilson told The Epoch Times. “After all of the kids finished jumping over my phone, I stopped recording.”
One of the little ones said, “Why aren’t we teenagers now?” Ms. Wilson explained that “it was movie magic,” and she'd “let his teacher show him the final result.”
Students of both age groups felt various emotions in the process of being videoed. Among those kindergarteners, who will graduate in 2036, was Addison Beamer.
“It’s super cool that one day that will actually be me, a big girl, graduating from Louisville High School,” she told Fox News Digital.
Griffan Greco, 6, said he can’t wait to be “a grownup.”
Among the graduates forging toward bright futures and careers in the months and years ahead was Elizah Adkins, who will attend the University of Akron.
“It was great to be able to have this last moment and memory with my classmates,” she said. “After seeing the final video, I was touched because it shows how fast the years go. One second, we are kindergarteners enjoying playing together at recess, and the next, we are seniors enjoying our last moments in the same school.”
Caleb Riley, who will be attending Ohio State University, said he found partaking in the shoot a joyful experience and didn’t know the kindergarteners were going to be part of the video. He did, however, offer them a few words of wisdom.
“My advice to kindergarteners is to think about others first, to know that you were created for a purpose, to spread positivity into the world, and to trust in God with anything you face,” Caleb told the outlet.
Beyond the students who were videoed, the inspiring clip touched 40 million viewers worldwide online. Thousands offered congratulations, fawning over the cuteness of the kids, and praising the collage’s cleverness. Some echoed its quaint message.
In the comments section, Jennie May Felix wrote, “My children [are] finishing 2nd and 4th [grades] and as a 22-year veteran teacher it’s going too fast for me. Thank you for the tears.”
Sharing the same symptom of excessive eye moisture, April Franco wrote, “Loved this! Amazing idea! Crying my eyeballs out lol!”
Dee Dee Khal offered advice to parents, writing, “This is awesome! Blink and they grow up. I love this. Take time with your kids and know that work doesn’t matter. I look back and think why did I make work a priority?”
