By Allen Hamrick
Clay County High School Graduation 2021 is now in the memoirs of those attending. On a field packed with parents, friends and supporters, attendees watched as seniors were set to receive their hard earned diplomas. There were many awards given in memory of others who have passed, as well as awards that were funded by the people of this county through programs and events to help the youth in their quest for higher learning. The graduating seniors were given a great pep talk from Chief Justice Evan Jenkins. Others who were in attendance, whether behind the podium or just passing by on the field, gave their pats on the back and their own interpretation of what to look forward to as students progress into the future. The 2020-2021 school year has been a great one for CCHS even though the odds were still stacked against them with fighting along the front lines against Covid-19. The students fought to overcome with the will and determination that is expected from this county’s youth.
The graduates will now embark on a new journey and accept new roles in our society as not only participants but leaders of our future. As the generations pass into history, it is up to the youth who grow into adulthood to keep what we have built as a nation from crumbling to dust.
At Clay County High School, some of the most intelligent and hard working young men and women will become a part of that force that holds us together. They will no doubt be an influence in the fields they enter into. With the unclear path the country is on, and political opinions changing as each sun arises, the future will be bright for those who will take the bull by the horns and change this country while keeping the founding principles in mind. Having the zeal to positively impact the world, even if it is just the world around you, is a priority taught to the students at CCHS. From here, it is up to the graduates to make the right choices in their lives; they have been given the proverbial kick out of the nest with their new diplomas. The world is an exciting place to explore, invent and become what they were born to do… discover who they really are.
Friendships that have developed over the years will seemingly come to an end, and parents, you might as well face it, it’s time for your nest to suddenly become less inhabited. It is a detail of reality in the concourse of life that youth change and make a path of their own that will sustain the ongoing process we call life. There is a time and a season for everything, and 2021 is these students’ first shot at making the world a better place.
Who knows? One of them may discover the cure for cancers that so ruin the lives of many; some will become heroes that through their acts of bravery will change the lives of thousands. Who knows what lies ahead for these students? Only they have control to make change and, hopefully, they will do just that. Some will go and serve in our country’s military to defend our rights and freedoms and others will assume their roles as hard working individuals that makes this state and country strong. Now graduates, as I have said in the past, it is time to move on, and there are time tested and proven rules to form your minds: talk very little but listen a whole lot, reflect on what has passed, never forget where you come from, distrust your own opinion and value and respect others who deserve it.
Go forth and conquer class of 2021, Clay County wishes nothing but the best for you!
