Although classes continued during the last day at Travis Middle School, students were mostly excited about the start of summer. Yearbook signing parties took place in the gym, where students could exchange and sign each other’s books.

Wednesday marked the last day of classes for students in the Temple and Belton independent school districts.

Travis seventh-grader Samantha Kacir, 13, said she was happy about the last day of school and was introduced as a record-breaking Accelerated Reader, who had 1,416.5 points.

“I read a lot,” Samantha said.

This summer, Samantha will be swimming and is going to the Tetons in Wyoming.

“A lot of people don’t know about them,” Samantha said. “They’re right next to Yellowstone.”

She will also visit her grandparents in California.

Her favorite parts of the year were orchestra and theater art.

When asked about whether things will be different when she is an eighth-grader, Samantha said, “Not really - there’ll just be different teachers.”

Eighth-grader Brianna Moix, 14, had a slightly different perspective.

“It’s exciting and sad because of my friends are moving from Temple to Belton and Killeen.” She’ll be missing her friends over the summer, Brianna said, adding, “The day’s not over.”

Brianna’s favorite parts of the year were just being with friends and passing.

When asked whether she felt nervous about being a little fish at the high school, Brianna said she was “majorly” nervous.

“My dad and sister are at the high school, so there’ll be someone watching over me,” Brianna said.

Brianna plans to go to Schlitterbahn today and will attend church camp, various retreats and band camp this summer. She plays the flute.

Ryan Popham, 14, is an eighth-grader who is moving and will not be attending Temple High School.

“I’m happy that all my classes are over and I’ll get new ones in high school,” Ryan said.

Ryan won several awards during his eighth-grade year: two math counts awards, a science fair award, and academic excellence awards in math, English language arts and science, but the awards were not the most memorable experiences for him.

“Probably when I was giving a speech at NJHS,” Ryan said. “I was glad all my hard work paid off.”

After school is done, Ryan plans to pack for the move and will stay in touch with people.

“I have a lot of people’s numbers they gave me,” Ryan said. “I’ll come back on weekends with my mom.”

Principal Eddy McNamara is much loved by the students. While standing in the hallway, she was approached by students who wanted her to sign their yearbooks.

“Before the eighth-graders leave, they’ll hook arms and sing the Travis Mustang fight song,” McNamara said. “It’s a Travis tradition.”

As McNamara walked through the hallways during passing period, she greeted eighth-graders and said they would soon be freshmen.

To some teachers, McNamara said, “Three and a half hours till you get your life back.”

Regina Baird, public relations director/spokesperson for Temple ISD, said, “It is a cool district - it’s got so many different characters.”

Margaret Fyffe teaches skills for living, commonly known as family consumer sciences. Her class was made up of both seventh- and eighth-graders. While some students made cupcakes and decorated them with icing, others finished their pillows.

This summer, Ms. Fyffe will take a junior master gardening course, so she will be able to teach it in the fall. She’ll also attend the Family Consumer Sciences conference.

The school ran on an abbreviated schedule Wednesday, meaning students would attend seven short class periods. Students still had to follow the dress code and wear their school IDs on laniards. No backpacks were allowed during the last few days because they were unnecessary, officials said.