About 200 ninth-grade students got to relive their kindergarten memories Friday.

Woodson Kindergarten Center celebrated its 10-year anniversary Friday and invited its first-ever kindergarten students — now freshman in high school — back to walk the halls and talk with the new kindergarteners about their memories.

“We’ve invited all the ninth-graders who were here their kindergarten year back, and they’re going to participate in activities with the current Woodson critters,” Woodson Kindergarten Center Principal Jessica Cabeen said.

The freshmen were matched with the class critter they were in their kindergarten days. The students filled out memory sheets, went on a tour of the building, did an activity with the kindergarteners and had a snack.

“Even the ninth-graders are excited about snack today,” Cabeen laughed.

Yet the freshmen students weren’t the only ones who came back. Alumni teachers and staff were also invited back to celebrate the 10th year anniversary.

For Josh McRae, a kindergarten teacher at Woodson for nine years and currently a first-grade teacher at Neveln, it was fun to see the different aged-students interact.

“It’s been really fun to see the ninth-graders reconnecting over a common thing and reminiscing, and it’s kind of fun for the little kids who look at them and go ‘Wow, I’m going to be there someday,’” McRae said. “… The freshmen were sharing their memories of kindergarten and the little kindergarteners were just eating up every word they had to say. So I think it’s really fun. Anytime you can get the older kids to come back and share their experiences I think that’s great for younger kids.”

He noticed some changes, but the biggest change has been acquiring a routine for staff and students.

“I started at the building with a lot of other young, new teachers that first year, and a nice mix of veterans, so it was really exciting,” McRae laughed.”Nobody really knew what they were getting into because it was the first time doing all-day, every-day [kindergarten], and it was a lot of fun.”

Cabeen hoped the event provided an opportunity for people to see how students grow through the school system. She also hoped the kindergarteners got the chance to envision what their future could look like.

“It’s also such a great experience for our kindergarteners to see what they could do or what they could be in 10 years,” she said. “And just a way to celebrate the fact that the Austin community has let us have this wonderful space and center for 10 years.”

Cabeen said the event was a good experience for both students and staff, and hoped students now feel welcome to come back and visit any time.

“I think we try to really establish a really caring feel here in our building, making sure everybody feels welcome and safe and engaged in learning,” she said. “So we just kind of hope that that sparks something in our former students and reignites something in our current students.”