Aspen High Seniors Parade Through Schools Before Graduation

"The popular tradition lets the students walk through the hallways of both the elementary and middle schools to reflect back on their academic journey while getting high-fives from the younger students."

That’s the official line on the March of the Graduates, anyway. But if you were standing outside the Aspen School District campus on Monday afternoon, May 18, you saw something else entirely: a rite of passage that feels less like a ceremony and more like a final, collective exhale before the Class of 2026 is launched into the world.

The seniors didn’t just walk; they paraded. Cap and gown in place, they moved through the elementary and middle school hallways, collecting high-fives from K-8 students who looked on with a mix of awe and nostalgia. Parents and family members lined the routes outside, cameras ready, capturing moments that will likely be scrolled past on Instagram but remembered for decades.

It’s a simple ritual, but it anchors the senior class to the institution they’re about to leave. And this year, the leadership team was front and center, guiding the procession.

Exiting Aspen High School Principal Sarah Strassburger led the charge. She’s not staying behind, of course. Strassburger is set to become an assistant superintendent for the district, a move that signals the next phase of her career within the same system she’s helped shape. Walking alongside her was AHS Assistant Principal Nina Pulatie, who will step in as interim principal in Strassburger’s absence.

The two stood at the head of the line, a visual reminder that the administrative ship is being passed, even as the student body moves forward. It’s a subtle shift in power dynamics, one that happens quietly in boardrooms but is visible here in the casual dignity of a hallway walk.

Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times documented the scene, capturing the seniors posing for group photos, stopping to chat with younger students, and generally soaking in the last few days of their time as the oldest students in the building. The photos show the relief on their faces. The tension of finals and college applications is still there, but it’s softened by the celebration.

This Monday’s event is the prelude to the main event: the Class of 2026 graduation ceremony. That’s scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, inside the Michael Klein Music Tent in Aspen. The tent, a staple of local culture, will be filled with families who watched these same students grow up in the valley.

The question isn’t whether the tradition will continue. It’s what it means for the seniors as they transition from being the "big kids" of the district to alumni. Strassburger’s departure to the district office level suggests a continuity of leadership, but it also marks the end of an era for the current senior class. They won’t have her as their principal when they walk across the stage in May.

For now, though, the focus is on the high-fives. The noise. The feeling of being seen by the younger grades who will one day take their place. It’s a moment of connection before the split.

As the seniors dispersed after the walk, the atmosphere shifted from ceremonial to casual. The caps were still on, but the posture changed. The walk was over. The real work — graduation, departure, the next chapter — was waiting.

Strassburger, leading the way, didn’t look back. She was already thinking about the district office, about the broader scope of education in Pitkin County. Pulatie was next in line, preparing to hold the fort at Aspen High. And the seniors? They were just getting started.