Friday, Might 23, marked the day Social Circle Excessive Faculty (SCHS) stated goodbye to its Class of 2025 and welcomed a model new slate of alumni.
For 4 years, members of the Class of 2025 hung out beneath the Friday night time lights of Redskin Stadium. On Might 23, it meant one thing completely different.
That night time they danced, they hugged, they cried, they took some selfies. They did it, they usually had been celebrated for it.
The commencement ceremony started with a sea of pink flooding the sphere because the graduates entered to take their seats. The gang roared as proud family and friends cheered on every of their college students strolling previous the stands.
To get issues rolling, graduate Molly Joiner assumed the stage for the welcoming remarks. Joiner started by thanking everybody who had an influence on getting the graduates to this present day, for his or her countless endurance, encouragement and for serving to them develop not simply as college students however into the individuals they’ve turn out to be.
Joiner prolonged gratitude to her classmates, as they’d braved by way of each success and failure over the previous 4 years collectively.
“Thanks for being the individuals we have laughed with, cried with, discovered from and a lot extra,” Joiner stated. “We depart as individuals who have discovered converse up, have fun the wins and bounce again when issues don’t go our method.”
Joiner highlighted that one factor SCHS Class of 2025 can take with them is perseverance. Their capacity to maintain going even when life turns into complicated or troublesome. This was their distinguished phrase of the night.
Taking the stage straight after Joiner was Salutatorian Graham Rains with a sentimental speech on his journey to commencement.
“Tonight we collect to acknowledge not only a second in time, however a journey crammed with recollections, challenges, victories and progress,” Rains stated. “Collectively we stand as one household, one class, prepared for what’s subsequent.”
Rains provided some background on his struggles rising up with a uncommon medical situation, giving the viewers a glimpse into his life and the boldness it took to maintain transferring ahead. He provided phrases of encouragement to his friends about what it took to get them to this nice success and the issues they needed to persevere to make it there.
“We’re stronger than the obstacles we face, and we’re better than the fears we really feel,” Rains stated. “Celebrating the top of 1 journey and the start of one other…it’s about recognizing the power it took to get right here and about honoring the individuals who walked with us.”
Though every pupil graduating that night time had a distinct story to inform, all of them had one factor in widespread: They by no means gave up. When life didn’t go as deliberate, the scholars persevered and selected to struggle for this present day that they’d dreamed of for thus lengthy.
Subsequent as much as the rostrum was the senior class’ prime pupil, Valedictorian Claire Ray, who started her speech by reminiscing on the place the category started freshman 12 months to the place they’re now as graduates.
Ray spoke humbly in regards to the braveness and willpower that introduced this class their success. She implored her fellow graduates to maintain pushing themselves and dealing onerous as a result of that’s the figuring out issue for a way far they may go in life.
Ray left her classmates with one easy assertion to replicate on.
“I need to provide you with recommendation from these six phrases: Life is what you make it,” Ray stated.
Following Ray, Principal Ted Armstrong made his handle to the Class of 2025.
After thanking the households of the graduates for entrusting them to care for his or her college students every day, Armstrong addressed the category straight, having them take a second to soak of their success and go searching in any respect the faces which are right here to have fun with them.
Armstrong delighted within the group’s excellence, itemizing all of their collective tutorial and athletic successes.
“By the highs and lows, you haven’t solely survived, you have got persevered and thrived,” Armstrong stated.
Collectively, the category took 83 AP programs, 327 Twin Enrollment programs and acquired over $90,000 in scholarships.
Earlier than turning the mic over to Interim Superintendent Jennifer Chatham, Armstrong left the Class of 2025 with 4 recommendations: To not neglect the place they got here from, to decelerate and benefit from the second, to proceed to work onerous and persevere and eventually, to recollect to do the correct factor simply because it’s the proper factor.
“We love you, we’ll miss you, and bear in mind: As soon as a Redskin, all the time a Redskin” Armstrong stated.
Total, the ceremony was a easy one, however one crammed with plenty of coronary heart and a number of hope for the longer term. The scholars every accepted their diplomas from Chatham and eventually turned their tassels to the left, signifying their tutorial achievement.
To shut, everybody stood for the alma mater, led by the SCHS band, and a few closing remarks by graduate Gary White. The latest alumni got here collectively in a ultimate second as a category to toss their caps in celebration.
Then, they walked off the sphere not as highschool college students however as adults prepared for his or her subsequent chapter.
