Schools
South Gwinnett High Seniors Bid Farewell
South Gwinnett High School held its graduation ceremony at the Gwinnett Arena May 29, and about 470 seniors graduated. (Video included.)
South Gwinnett High School held their 54th commencement ceremony at the Gwinnett Arena Sunday, May 29.
The evening began with a video presentation of each student waving at the audience, possibly bidding farewell to their years in high school.
This was followed by a deafening roar of approval as approximately 466 students filed in to “Pomp and Circumstance.” Principal Clay Hunter issued his students a memorable and inspiring message.
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“It’s never too late to turn your life around,” he said. “You’re only in the first quarter… No one can write the ending for you; you have to do that yourself.”
Salutatorian Jessica Williamson, a member of the National Honor Society and AP scholar, said “praise the bridge that carried you over.”
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She referred to thanking family and friends who carried the seniors through their high school years, including teachers, parents, administrators, coaches and counselors.
“Our class reignited the flame that was dwindling at South Gwinnett,” she continued. She then shared a Hawaiian fable about a man who threw starfish back into the ocean, stating that though it seemed as if it wasn’t making a difference, it made a difference to the individual starfish.
Valedictorian Rachel Harris reminded her fellow students that that though the evening was a time of celebration, that “the real reward is the foundation for our education."
She added that they would continue to learn in the world, "through others and ourselves. So let’s try to make this place a little better than it was before… If the future seems overwhelming, remember that is only comes one day at a time.”
A few memorable moments of the evening:
- Dianne Warren’s song “When You Remember," performed by students Astasia Adams, Adeola Adegabi, Britnee Brown, Charlotte Costales, Ashley Gomes, Kendal Gross, Ashley Ikwueme, Treisha Jones, Jazmine Lindsay, Erika Reames, Chelsea Smith, Kaylee Swales, and Shakarah Washington
- A performance of “I Am Changing” by students Jodi-Ann Johnston, Emirami Pepe, and Shekinah Phillips, which involved dancing, singing, and a violin accompaniment.
- A moment of silence for fellow student Darnell Sanders, who passed away this year.
Short clips of the performances are included in our pictures and video section.
