Paris, Tenn.–The following are the speeches delivered at Friday night’s Henry County High School Graduation by the Top students: Valedictorian Kashaina Nusum, Salutatorian Shelby Summers, Class President Anna Minor, and Honorable Mention Avery Cox.
Valedictorian: Kashaina Nucum
Hello, and thank you, fellow graduates, friends, families, teachers, staff, and
distinguished guests for being here tonight. We are truly blessed to celebrate this
milestone together. It is a fitting end for the whirlwind of the senior year we have
endured.
Tonight, during this bittersweet occasion, we say goodbye to one stage of
our lives to start another. Goodbye to the memories made with our childhood
friends and family. Goodbye to the hallways we have roamed and to the stadiums
we have packed. Goodbye to Friday night football games, to late night study
sessions, and to triumphant plays and performances. Goodbye to the moments of
growth and grief, and of pain and perseverance, especially that wrought by the
pandemic. Goodbye to the lessons learned, to the successes celebrated, and to the
mistakes made that have shaped who we are and have prepared us for adulthood.
While we may be sad to say goodbye, to be sad means to be lucky to have
loved someone or something so much. Winnie the Pooh once expressed, “How
lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” We are blessed
to have experiences that have allowed us to grow, to persevere, and to enjoy, and
we are even more fortunate to have each other, especially everyone who is
supporting us tonight. Graduates, I urge you to tell your friends and family you
love them, your teachers how much you appreciate them, and those who are
significant to you that they made an impact on your life. It is the support and
guidance from our loved ones that has brought us to this moment, for they have
helped mold our foundations that will allow us to thrive in our next stage of life.
Even though we are saying goodbye to high school, we are saying hello to
new opportunities, connections, discoveries, and endless possibilities. While our
futures are unclear and we may go through some difficulties, I know we will
persevere to accomplish many great things. Tonight, we may say, “goodbye,” but
tomorrow, we shall proclaim, “World, here we come!”
Salutatorian: Shelby Summers
This is the resolution – the part of the story where loose ends are being tied
up. Where the hero has overcome the obstacle, and the sun has begun to shine.
Where a likely outcome is within reach, and a happy ending seems all but
inevitable.
So far, our lives have followed this same storyline. We‘ve overcome
obstacles, too – pandemics, glitchy Zoom connections, unorthodox graduations.
We‘ve passed through the perils of quarantines. And now, for a bit longer, our story
seems to be resolving.
But stories have twists. New challenges arise. Endings change. And
sometimes, new chapters begin whether we want them to or not.
This stage is the gateway into a new world–a new adventure. Here and now,
we are beginning a new chapter. Some of us can‘t wait to turn the page. Others, not
so much. But for each of us, the next page is uncertain, and we have no idea what
the author has planned for us. But we will be ready. We are not entering this new
adventure unprepared. Over the course of the last eighteen years, we have met
allies, acquired knowledge, and sharpened our skills; we go forward from this
place not alone but as the representation of love and hardwork and perseverance. In
this new adventure, we will be our own protagonist. We will be our own hero.
The next chapter is your story. Don‘t become a supporting character in the
story of your life. Don‘t take for granted all of the amazing opportunities you will
have. You will encounter challenges in the future, but that‘s what makes a good
story. All great stories leave you guessing, anxious to know what happens next.
When the hero is down, they are not out. We have hope that they make it through.
Root for yourself, believe in the impossible, be optimistic. Be an action adventure,
be a self–help and a help to others. Live your story to the fullest.
So maybe this isn‘t the resolution. Maybe this is the rising action. Maybe the
plot is just beginning to thicken. Maybe this isn‘t the end of something at all.
Maybe it‘s simply a beginning.
The best stories become richer and more meaningful as your own
experiences illustrate the pages of your life. Henry County has been a part of our
story – a defining attribute – but in no way is it the end.
This chapter will be part of our life stories. But there is more to be written,
and there is more to be done.
Class President: Anna Minor
Good evening, and welcome to our class of 2021 commencement ceremony.
I‘d like to start by thanking the faculty and staff for allowing our graduation to
occur, and I encourage you all to thank the individuals who have helped you grow,
learn, and succeed.
I also want to encourage you to think about the events that you associate
with growing, learning and succeeding. What will you remember most about high
school? For me, it‘s the bonds we have created with each other. It‘s the full student
section at football games as we witnessed Jermarcus Johnson shatter rushing yard
records and heard Jim Farmer proclaim that “It‘s Patriot football time in Henry
County.” It‘s Olivia Kenworthy’s need to sing her thoughts rather than speak them;
Kyle Henson getting pulled over the same day that he received the worst driver
award at senior banquet; Will Norwood‘s attempt at hitting a golf ball and
managing to launch his club across Inman gym, and Andrew Wimberley‘s ability
to somehow grow taller every time you see him. It‘s Coach Summer‘s never failing
conclusion of “Go Big Red” to any announcement, and it‘s Ms. Weatherly‘s plea
for us to refrain from directing “Karen” jokes toward her. It‘s Coach Norman
hoarding 200 plus empty Mellow Yellow bottles in his classroom, and Sergeant
Powell telling me to be careful not to fluff up this speech by overusing his name.
It‘s Mrs. Dr. Webb‘s miscalculation regarding leap day over the intercom followed
by Mr. Dr. Webb shaking his head and saying that “math just isn‘t her thing.” It‘s
accidentally unmuting yourself during a Zoom meeting or that awkward silence
when a teacher asked a question on virtual Wednesdays and no one responded.
And, of course, it‘s the excitement of an extended spring break that led to a new
world of abnormalities. Whatever monumental events that you recall, hold on to
them. Our experiences within Dr. Webb‘s Marvelous Mondays, Terrific Tuesdays,
and so forth, have both defined us, and developed a foundation for our future.
Years down the road, we will probably forget who received what
recognition, the conversations we had at lunch, or even the lessons our teachers
taught us, but we will remember the importance of hard work, dedication, and this
year especially, the value of adaptability. I don‘t think any of us intended to have to
set an alarm to be on time for Zoom calls –– or in JC Gregory‘s case, go to
detention for being late virtually. We didn‘t think we would walk a certain
direction in the hallways or regard “Mask up HC” as our catch phrase for the year.
I certainly didn‘t intend to be standing here in front of you all, reflecting on our
collective high school career, on the soccer field. But, these unique adaptations
have enabled us to learn to be flexible. Going forward, rather than letting adverse
events inhibit your success, use them as motivation and keep an open mind.
Consider Winston Churchill’s perspective that “Success is not final, failure is not
fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”
I also encourage you to be the best version of yourself and live a life of
intentionality. As Coach Huber once told me, “simply do the best that you can for
one day, and do the same thing tomorrow.” This is a mindset that we should
actively pursue — whether you‘re going to college, technical school, the work
force, the military, or you‘re still in the decision–making process.
This close to our high school career should not be viewed as an ending, but
rather, a beginning. As we leave tonight, I urge you to be kind, compassionate, and
grateful with everything that you do, and never forget that we are and always will
be proud graduates of Henry County High School.
Honorable Mention: Avery Cox
Proverbs 3:16 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans
will succeed.” Proverbs is mostly composed of the writings of a king named
Solomon. He has been dubbed the wisest man to ever live. While it may seem like
the plans for our final year of high school have been unsuccessful, look at where
we are now. We have overcome a lot: from starting school a month later, to social
distancing and virtual learning, to even a change in the location of our graduation
ceremony. But we have also been able to enjoy some traditions. We have spent the
last months back at school with all of our friends, reinforcing the relationships we
started building at Grove. We were able to visit our middle schools and thank the
teachers who helped mold and shape us into who we are today. Just a year ago, all
these things seemed so impossibly out of reach.
So yes, while our original plans to graduate on a grass field at Patriot
Stadium or to spend the entire year back at school or to walk down our middle
school hallways one more time without wearing masks didn‘t happen, we have
gained something far more valuable: diligence. No other class has had to remember
virtual Wednesday schedules, which days they are supposed to go to school
in–person, or any of the other countless adaptations we have been forced to make to
be successful in our last year at Henry County High School. We have had to
overcome not only the normal hardships of being teenagers about to emerge into
the real world, but also we have had to overcome the hardships that have come
along with living through a global pandemic.
As we have spent the last thirteen years imagining the day we finally get to
graduate, I know none of us had anything pictured remotely close to this; however,
I don‘t think any of us would change what we have gone through. We have
developed into independent, hard–working young adults ready to venture into our
uncertain futures. To ensure our success for the upcoming years, along with
keeping diligent, we have to understand even though our original plans might not
be triumphant in the end, there is a higher power at work assuring our success if we
put our faith in Him, even if our success comes in the form of a completely
different outcome than we had planned.