‘Live in the moment’

Greyhounds celebrate graduation

The North Surry High School Class of 2023 listens attentively during Saturday's graduation ceremony.

The Greyhound Sounds performed several songs during Saturday's North Surry High School graduation.

Teacher Kim Lyons adjust a student's hat at the beginning of Saturday's North Surry High School graduation ceremony.

The nearly 200 students who graduated from North Surry High School Saturday morning experienced something few other graduating classes have experienced during the long history of public education in America — navigating their way through high school during a worldwide pandemic.

Student Body President Ashley Flores told her fellow graduates, along with throngs of relatives, friends, and others packed into the school's Charles Atkins football stadium that they had no idea when they reported to the high school as freshmen, that their first year of high school would be so disrupted.

They were sent home in March of that year for what amounted to an extended spring break for the rest of the semester, experienced virtual learning, returning to school wearing masks and observing social distancing guidelines, before finally returning to the classroom and regular normal activities.

Along the way, they faced challenges and opportunities typical of other graduating classes — proms, homecomings, senior activities during their final year of school, making memories they will carry throughout their life.

"If the pandemic taught us anything, it was to live in the moment," she said. "To take everything in."

While many are glad to be finished with their school journey, and excited for the next chapter of their lives, she said there will be things they will miss — teachers who offered guidance, students who became friends, regular daily occurrences that had become part of their routine, and safety offered by counselors.

She also addressed the teachers, faculty and staffers, thanking them for their work. "You make a difference," she said.

In her own life, she said she was the third of three children in their family to graduate from high school and head to college — the first generation of their family to do so, adding the teachers and others at the school had inspired her along the way, helped keep her on track, pursuing her goals.

For her parents, she was thankful for their support, their encouragement. "Crossing a border, learning a new language…was totally worth it," she said, becoming emotional as she spoke of her parent's sacrifice.

The ceremony's second speaker, Allyn-Claire Simmons, senior class president, used much of her time to remind those gathered that not all who began on this journey 13 years ago made it.

She spoke specifically of a friend of hers — Sarah Atkins, who attended White Plains Elementary School.

"She could light up a room with a smile," Allyn-Claire said of Sarah, who she said never met a stranger, was always smiling and happy, the first to befriend new students coming to the school.

Sarah, she said, passed away in fourth grade.

"Her passing left a hole in the heart of everyone who knew her," she said.

That inspired Allyn-Claire to share a list of rules to live by — 15 in all. Among those were that "hard work will always outdo talent," reminding the graduates they will "never be able to please everyone," and to never be afraid to simply be themselves, not worrying about pleasing others all the time.

She encouraged her classmates to go out and live life to the fullest, to take advantage of every opportunity they have.

Many of her classmates appear to be well on their way toward that goal.

Principal Dr. Paige Badgett shared with those gathered Saturday that 15% of the graduates would be attending a four-year college in the fall, 49% would be attending a two-year college, 29% would be entering the workforce after graduation, 3% will be entering the military, with 4% pursuing other goals.

Twenty of the graduates have a weighted GPS of 4.0 or higher, 85 have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, 27 are North Carolina Academic Scholar graduates, 12 of the students graduated Summa Cum Laude, eight are Magna Cum Laude, and 26 are Cum Laude graduates, 33 are National Honor Society graduates, and 72 are National Technical Honor Society graduates.

All totaled, she said the students had received more than $3.1 million in scholarship offers.