Class Of 2022: ‘Not Goodbye But See You Later’
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Water Valley High School Class of 2022 valedictorian receives his diploma from school board president Jill Clark. Sixty-three students walked across the stages as clouds loomed.
WATER VALLEY – Gloomy skies and a light sprinkle didn’t dampen the mood as 63 members of the Water Valley High School Class of 2022 received diplomas during Thursday’s commencement exercise at Bobby Clark Field. Class historian Steven Crawford was first to share remarks during the hour-long ceremony, tracing their journey together during the last 13 years with a class he defined as tough and resilient.
“Now to ensure clear communication with the social media generation, hash tags and pop culture references will be used. Hash tag ‘you are welcome,’” Crawford explained in his opening comments.
“It has not been easy,” Crawford continued. “We were presented with many challenges and obstacles that we had to overcome. We have seen people come and go, including the loss of Dr. Carol Gary that shook the community at its core.”
Crawford pointed to perils his group faced ranging from world events to classroom obstacles.
“We have braved dangers such as power outages, tornadoes, ebola, Michelle Obama’s changes to our lunch program, Isis, puberty, Covid 19, Coach Ross’ final exam because it was tough; and global warming,” he shared.
With his class prevailing and excelling, Crawford pointed to the accomplishment as noteworthy.
“We are now significantly less likely to live in our parents’ basements for the rest of our lives. Now we can emerge from a cocoon like a Monarch butterfly and use all of the skills that we have learned – how to divide a polynomial, analyze a 19th Century poem and share that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of a cell,” he added.
Class salutatorian Sydney Epes followed, crediting parents and teachers for pushing members of her class to get to this day.
“Thank you Coach (Dexter) Ross for believing in all of us when we did not believe in ourselves and for pushing us out of our comfort zones,” she shared.
She added that reality set in that her high school journey was nearing completion on the last day of the golf state tournament.
“I knew that it was over and I was devastated. Not because it was all over or because I felt like I hadn’t done enough my high school career, but because I would be leaving the place I called home all these years,” Epes continued.
She also said the school journey is about growth and defining who you are.
“Today is a very special day for me because it marks a day when I can finally stop comparing myself to my twin sisters. They were valedictorian and salutatorian in their class, so to say I had some big shoes to fill is an understatement,” Epes shared about her journey. “I have always been the little sister of the Epes twins, it was the mold I was expected to fit into. As we grow into young adults, we are all expected to fit into predetermined molds that people have set for us. Throughout high school we have broken these molds and we have become the individuals that we are today.”
The commencement continued with the recognition of the 22 honor graduates by assistant principal Melinda Adams. The members of the class graduating with a 90 or higher cumulative average Mallory Adams, Tyler Boedecker, Chloe Burrowes, Steven Crawford, Michael Egdorf, Sydney Epes, Hayden Eubanks, Preslee Fischer, Matthew Scott Hamilton, Kelly Hendricks, Sarah Johnson, Alicyn Jones, Jumiah Jones, Kaniyah Kuykendall, Colby Lafayette, Z’arria Love, Dorian Pomerlee, Lane Potts, Jon Surrette, Bradley Tedford, Madison Urban and Justin Williams.
Matthew Scott Hamilton delivered the valedictory address, thanking his sisters for making him extremely competitive in all that he does. The class leader also extended gratitude to teachers and counselor Jonathan Barnes.
“Most importantly, I would like to thank God. I have truly been given countless blessings that I am so grateful for,” Hamilton added.
“We should all feel proud in what we have managed to accomplish here today. For some of us more school awaits, and some of us are going straight on to the work force. Regardless of what our future holds, there is always the opportunity to continue learning and growing. We often hear the saying that knowledge is power, and it is true,” Hamilton said.
The skies cleared as each student awaited their turn to cross the stage, their last steps as a student at Water Valley High School. And the final comments from the top three class leaders still echoed across the field.
“We have been given all the tools necessary to make our mark on the world,” Hamilton shared.
“It’s not goodbye, but see you later. We are leaving Water Valley High School as the Class of 2022. But we are certainly not saying goodbye forever,” Epes noted in her salutatory address.
“We have passed tests together, thrown food together – hashtag food fight – and had fun together. And now as seniors listening to me give the greatest speech of all time, we are through,” Crawford noted in closing.
