A classy ending to a first-class year

I have been to countless graduation ceremonies: Seminole County High School, Bainbridge High School, Cairo High School, University of Georgia, Valdosta State, FSU, etc.; however, I have never been more impressed and moved at a ceremony’s organization, presentation and reverence to the graduates and their families than I was at this year’s Seminole County High School Graduation ceremony last Friday night. It was impressive.
To borrow the famous line from the sportscaster’s call of Secretariat’s 1973 run for the Triple Crown, the Seminole County Graduation Ceremony ran like a well-oiled machine. The night was designed and organized to be a night for the graduates and indeed it was. Everything about the evening’s ceremony was reverently orchestrated to create a night to remember for the ones there to be honored.
The Seminole County High School Class of 2015 had a championship kind of year, filled with new records and well-deserved accolades, and last Friday night’s ceremony was a classy ending to a wonderful year.
This was a night for the Seminole County graduating class of 2015, and as proud parents and family members sat reverently in their seats, the Senior class members received a grand ceremonial salute to the accomplishments of their high school careers. As the graduates’ names were called, and each slowly walked to the podium to receive their diplomas from Superintendent Monroe Bonner and Principal Brinson Register, family members and friends in attendance rose to their feet, saluted their loved ones and returned to their seats in a memorable display of absolute respect and reverence so richly earned and deserved by the graduates. This was the first day of the rest of their lives, and because of the first class presentation of Friday night’s ceremony, it began with a glorious sunrise.
The evening’s ceremony was designed to be a night for the graduates and it was that and more as they received the night of honor their accomplishments had awarded them.
As the diplomas were presented to each graduate, you could have heard a pin drop in that vast McLeod Gymnasium 104 out of 107 times. It is an understatement to say the atmosphere of the night was amazing. It was impressive and a monumental classy ending to an fantastic first-class year.
Hats off to the school, the administrators and the graduation committee for planning and pulling off an event that presented the honorees the night of honor they so richly deserved and one that they will remember forever.
The Seminole County graduating class of 2015 will always have a special place in my heart. To the 2015 graduates, your first year of high school was my first year in Seminole County and I will always remember with a smile every single amazing moment. Getting to know the faces of the 2015 Seminole County Indians, and the personalities of the fine young people behind them, was a pleasure. It has been an honor to feature your accomplishments and show your faces on the pages of your newspaper.
As I said in my column last week, as you begin, in earnest, the journey to your dreams, remember that after God, the most important person you need to impress is yourself, so go forward and conquer your world. As far I am I concerned, you have been doing that all year long. Don’t stop now.
Learn, live and leave your mark on the world. I will be watching and rooting for you all the way.

Comments and impressions are requested and
welcomed at david@donalsonvillenews.com