'Nowhere I'd rather be than at Whitehaven High': Gov. Bill Lee addresses Memphis grads

Among the many Memphis-Shelby County Schools graduation speakers this weekend was Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.

At Whitehaven High School's graduation Saturday, the governor asked students to think of their lives like a book.

"And regardless of the chapters to date, the story that's being written about you has great promise and hope," Lee said. "The previous chapters were decided largely by someone else, but the next chapters in your life will be decided by you."

Of the districts 5,500 graduates across 30 high schools, Whitehaven boasted one of the largest classes, at 400 students. In recent years, students at the high school, alma mater to Superintendent Joris Ray, have been known for being "million dollar scholars," an accomplishment encouraged through a mentor partnership with the Peer Power Foundation.

In a Facebook post, the Whitehaven Empowerment Expo, an event started in part by current school board candidate and former district communications employee Tiffani Perry, thanked Principal Vincent Hunter "for opening the door and allowing Black Excellence to be on full display for our politicians in Nashville!"

Lee's planned appearance at the MSCS graduation ceremony came days after the district issued a strong statement against a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling in favor of voucher legislation championed by the governor.

Related: Tennessee Supreme Court rules in favor of Gov. Bill Lee's controversial school voucher program

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In a statement the day after the ruling, Ray described it as an "assault" on public education, local government and the community.

"As champions for equity, Memphis-Shelby County Schools will persist in our mission to serve children and provide our students with high-quality options for their education regardless of socio-economic status," the district said Thursday afternoon.

It was unclear if Ray attended the Whitehaven graduation. He appears in a photo at Central High School's graduation, which began one hour later at a different location.

In the post by the Whitehaven Empowerment Expo, which appears to be run by its cofounders and not the school district, Hunter, the principal, was praised as a model for conversations with Lee about public education.

"Thank you for demonstrating that until we can put aside race and political party in effort to do what’s best for children, WE are also contributing to continued failures in our public education system!" the post read.

Lee's office notified the media he would be speaking but the district did not. The district included one photo of the governor speaking in a Facebook album of graduation photos. The district did not respond to an inquiry about how the governor's attendance was arranged.

Memphis city council member and Democratic gubernatorial candidate JB Smiley, Jr., who was also critical of the voucher legislation in a candidate forum in Nashville last week, criticized Lee's appearance at the graduation in a tweet.

Lee's speech, a recording of which was provided to The Commercial Appeal by the governor's office, was about five minutes long. Former Tennessee state House member and current senior advisor to the governor John DeBerry introduced the governor, telling the audience Lee was there because of the school's administration and the engagement of their parents.

"What an incredible honor it is for me to be standing here before you," Lee told graduates. "There is no where I'd rather be than at Whitehaven High School this morning for this graduation."

Lee ended with advice for graduates to remember where they came from and appreciate those who helped them get to graduation.

"Memphis is a remarkable city and your community is a remarkable community. Don't ever forget where you came from," Lee said. "Now there are challenges in any great city, but you are the next generation that will meet those challenges, the Memphians of tomorrow, the Tennesseans that can rise up and lead this state."

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Gov. Bill Lee addresses Whitehaven High School graduates