Culmination is always a special time for our Topanga Elementary Charter School (TECS) and the fifth- grade teachers, Mrs. Tapper and Dr. Amenta-Shin, our Principal Mr. Kassebaum, the fifth-grade parents and students, who were determined to keep traditions alive, even in the midst of a global pandemic. On June 5, the first TECS virtual culmination took place followed by socially distanced drive-by celebrations. I reached out to the students and parents to gather the traditional quotes: “What Topanga Means to Me” and photos of the culminating students to honor them at this special time. We are thrilled that we received so many responses and are happy to share them with you. These children are our future and our focus. Many started at TECS in Transitional Kindergarten and spent seven years at our school participating in countless wonderful experiences including school musicals, class performances, instrumental performances, science fairs, art gallery exhibitions, student council, big buddies, science hikes, library stories and research, computer lab learning, physical education, Track and Field Day and Jump Rope for Heart, field trips in and out of the Topanga, woodland restoration and garden creations. I am sure that the students have an abundance of memories to carry with them as they leave the small, nurturing community of Topanga and disperse to a multitude of middle schools to continue on their educational journey. The “drive-by” ceremony began with some words of farewell from fifth-grade teachers Mrs Tapper, and Dr. Amenta-Shin and Kevin Kassebaum, TECS Principal.