On May 17, 2021, the White County High School graduating class of 2021 gathered at Dee Harris Field to receive their diplomas and put an end to what most of the speakers chose to describe as the most unique and, possibly, the most difficult senior year in the history of the school.
Graduating seniors had been confronted with: a senior year that started with a hybrid schedule and followed a junior year that saw them finish the last two and half months remotely from the safety of their homes; a year that forced them to wear masks and stay distanced from their classmates; a year that, from time to time, saw them sent home to be quarantined for the safety of themselves and others; and a year like no other is what WCHS’s Class of 2021 will look back on.
Despite the challenges that the world threw their way, White County’s seniors did what was asked of them. In front of a smaller crowd than in past years, because of social distancing rules that have become so much a part of their lives, on May 17, 2021, they were able to walk across a stage on their now alma mater’s football field and be confirmed by Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger as official White County High School alumni.
“Graduates, after a school year like this, there is nothing you can’t handle,” Dronebarger told the graduating seniors. “You have proven this year that whatever life throws at you, you can knock it out of the park. You have shown that when things get scary, you won’t turn and run, but, rather, you will face things head-on and accept any challenge. You have been through perhaps the toughest school year in history, and you have done it with incredible class and perseverance. You have missed out on some events and traditions, but you simply created new opportunities and memories.”
Dronebarger told the seniors he had been inspired by their attitudes and efforts this year amidst the challenges of mask mandates, quarantine orders, and social distancing requirements.
“Everything this year was harder, but you wouldn’t know it by the way you handled yourselves,” he said. “COVID-19 is a terrible virus that has had devastating effects on families. But it has also provided many silver linings. It has exposed your resilience, proven your character, and bolstered your confidence as you enter this new chapter in life.”
According to Principal Greg Wilson, who was overseeing his first graduating class at WCHS, the class of 2021 has done historic things.
The 2021 White County High School graduation class includes the following:
Salutatorian Eleanor Summers addressed her classmates as a whole one last time, telling them that it doesn’t matter where their futures take them when they leave the stadium, what matters is what they do with that future.
“’I know that I will not live forever, but my books will make me live forever,’” Summers quoted author Ray Bradbury and said that his quote in an interview she watched during a high school English class made her focus on what she plans to do with her life. “I realized that if we all do or create something that impacts at least one individual, we will be remembered.”
Summers went on to tell her classmates that it doesn’t matter what they chose to do in life as long as they do it with passion and conviction.
“You do not have to travel the world or attend a fancy institution to create a legacy,” she said. “What you have to do is keep going despite all obstacles. Wake up every day ready to help others. Get back up when you fall down. Persevere and persist. The best way to do this is to live life the way you want to. Be happy and make a difference. Live your dreams.”
Mackenzie Johnson, the 2021 valedictorian, said she knows her classmates are well prepared for whatever the future holds for them, reminding them they have already overcome so much, and their success has not come easily or without many struggles.
“We entered school this fall with so many more uncertainties than any previous class,” Johnson said. “We did not have the senior year we have all looked forward to since elementary school. As we sit on the field today, nothing seems normal anymore. But we have overcome these obstacles to get here. Those of us here today have shown the strength and determination to succeed in a time when it would have been easier to give up. We have changed and adapted to what the world has given us each day. We have learned the true meaning of living in the present. We have persevered.”
Johnson said high school was a roller coaster of ups and downs, with many heartbreaking moments for her class as they lost not just opportunities and experiences but also lost classmates along the way. She encouraged her fellow graduates to not forget both those who have helped them reach their goals and those they have lost.
“As we go our separate ways, I believe that each of us will be successful as long as we persevere and strive to reach our goals,” Johnson said as she left her classmates with a final encouragement to keep pressing forward.
Wilson, who only had the opportunity to observe the 2021 senior class during their final year at WCHS, said their record stands for the first three years that he missed.
“Your future is ahead of you, and we look forward to all the great things you are going to do in the future,” Wilson said. “Walt Disney once said, ‘Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long... We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we are curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.’ Keep looking forward and conquer the world.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here