RSS Feed
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Click on a photo to go to the full album and leave comments for your graduate or classmate: 'On this day the one path will divide into 85'
"I want you all to dream big... Dream big but never ever ever give up on your dreams," Clay County Schools Superintendent Scott Penland told the rows of graduates awaiting their diplomas in Frank R. Long Stadium. Speeches issued by the classes' honor graduates, accented with humor and creativity, encouraged and challenged the class to live up to the future ahead of it. Anatocia Hadas provided the invocation for the service, and spoke about the wealth of transformations the class had already experienced. Clearly speaking with emotion and deep conviction, Hadas said: "Through the years we've all done a lot; we've traveled and worked, and we fought like we were family, some have even started families. We have all learned new things and met new people. We've all felt the pain of losing one of our own. And we all know what it's like to make new friends."
Ian McLamb led the Pledge of Allegiance before the HHS band played the National Anthem, directed by Jennifer Gibson.
Student Body President Alex Morgan spoke about the crossroads of life with a serious tone, welcoming the crowd. "Although it seems that we've been growing up for years now, we have finally reached the point in our lives when we are forced to grow up," he said. "We have to look after ourselves now. Responsibility is an elusive thing when we are young." Morgan said that the first road is one of courage and commitment and that the second path leads back to the beginning. "We must choose that first path that leads into the unknown," he said. John Kindy opened his address to the class with questions before returning to the road and fork analogy previously presented by Morgan. "Today we stand at an inevitable crossroads," he said. "On this day the one path will divide into 85.... The next step, certainly, is to take our first step."
Kindy thanked friends and families for their contributions to the class, noting that life is about the overall experience, rather than any specific moment.
"At this time we need you more than ever," he said. "Please, walk with us..." Speaker Matthew Butler certainly anticipated the day, however, having studied at HHS for fiveyears, he said. "For all of us this has been a day that has been circled and marked on our calendars," he said, asking for a round of applause for his class. "...But after tonight we must erase the circle from our calendar. All of the congratulations given and the many gifts received will not carry us very far." Stating that his generation was relied upon to findsolutions to many great challenges, Butler said that success could be achieved by listening to the knowledge of those who came before. The Senior Chorus, led by HHS Choral Director Leslie Setzer, sand Ryan Shupe's "Dream Big." McLamb played the guitar.
"Raising the bar, taking honors classes... Can you believe how fast time passes?" Cassidy Newell read a poem she wrote in pace of a speech, to great effect. The poem not only summed up the class's senior year but also reflected on memories from elementary and middle school as well as the beginning of high school. Her poem, written well and read magnificently,recalled the departure of school principal Dr. Gail Criss who retired a semester before their graduation. It also touched on the death of beloved coach and teacher Buck Carney in March. "Classes were moving and chuging along, we didn't expect anything to go wrong," she read. "One day in the morning we all heard the news... March 27 was filled with the blues. Our coach, teacher and friend passed away. Mr. Carney was outstanding and his memories will stay." The poem was also lighthearted at times, evoking chuckles with humor. She ended:
"Our talented class represented the hive, I hope we left a legacy that keeps it alive...." Carol Arnold, associate superintendent of Clay County Schools, recognized honor societies and Principal Matt Rogers recognized honor graduates and scholars. Of the seniors there were 23 Honor Graduates, nine National Honor Society members, 27 members of the National Beta Club, ten members of the National Technical Honor Society, 21 NC Scholars, ten winners of the President's Education Award, nine involved with Mu Alpha Theta, and 14 in the Tri- M Music Honor Society. Only Kindy achieved all eight categories, a feat rarely displayed for an HHS graduate. "Unless you leave as a good citizen, we have failed," Penland said. "We really think tonight we are graduating 85 good citizens. And that we're proud of." Penland said that the HHS faculty elect one student who has made the most positive contribution to the school.
Andrew McClure won the Class of 2008 Outstanding Citizen award, "one of the highest awards given at Hayesvile High School." Challenging graduates, Penland said: "I hope that you have learned that giving and forgiving are more important than taking and avenging.... Don't give up when you still have something to give. Don't use time or words carelessly, remember neither can be retrieved." He, like Morgan in his speech, ended with a quote from poet Ralph Waldo Emmerson. Penland and Rogers both awarded the diplomas to students before the Senior Chorus sang the High School's new Alma Mater, which was written by the school's choral students. Charles Penland, Chairman of the Clay County Board of Education, presented the graduates officially before the caps flew. Devin Tant closed the ceremony with enough humor to last a lifetime. "I'd like to start out by saying congrats to everyone wearing these ridiculous dresses," he said. And later, chuckling himself, "Our futures are so bright that Giligan is looking for ways to harness us as a alternate sources of fuel." Tant asked the seniors to stand and take a step to their right. "I can now say I helped because I made you all take a step in the right direction," he said, before turning more serious. "When we do finally get back together I want to see that every single one of you has succeeded, because from this point on we are no longer students of Hayesville High. We are students of life." E-mail Harrison at hkeely@ smokymountainsentinel.com. Story by Harrison Keely. Photos by Harrison Keely and Desiree Reynolds. Video by Zach Howell.
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
)
)
)
)
)
