'All things go, all things grow': Ohio County High School graduates 282

Though rain and thunder prevented Ohio County High School from holding its graduation ceremony at the outdoor Beaver Dam Amphitheater as initially planned, the move to the school’s gym didn’t dampen the spirits of family and friends who cheered on the 282 graduates who walked across the stage to receive their diplomas Thursday night.

But for the class of 2024, having to adjust and be flexible is something the students have adapted to since freshman year, starting their high school journey exclusively through online learning because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was a very challenging time for my class being isolated like that, having to deal with all of the pressures and sort of the struggles with keeping up with our academics but without that balance of being able to socialize, being able to connect with our peers,” said Xanthe Hoover, the class valedictorian. “It was very, very isolating and it was very tough on a lot of us.”

By the spring semester in 2021, the school moved to an A/B block schedule — meaning the entire class was split into two groups and would rotate days to attend classes in-person — before returning to fully in-person by that fall.

While Hoover, 18, felt there was nervousness and stress about the future among her peers throughout the 2020-21 school year, she finds they all got through it together.

“I’m very proud of my class,” Hoover said. “I’m very proud of our resilience and I’m very proud of making it this far.”

When Hoover was finally able to be at school with all of her classmates at the same time, she found it to be “absolutely fantastic.”

“Ever since then, I have been so grateful to show up every day, and interact with my peers and just get to enjoy high school as it was meant to be,” Hoover said.

Though the first year of high school came with uncertainty, Caden Burden and Natelie Gipson, the class salutatorians, said that period in time came with some personal positives.

“I think it definitely helped me throughout the next three years to learn new styles of learning, online learning and how to study,” Burden, 18, said. “... I think my love of learning really helped make me be able to push through the hard times that we went through during freshman year. My parents definitely kept me on track because everyone was at home, of course, and especially the teachers because they were also new to this.”

“For me, it was just making sure that I kept myself accountable … because I knew that I didn’t want to stray from my habits of being a good student,” Gipson, 17, said.

When arriving back to in-person sessions on a regular basis, Burden felt it all fell into place.

“... It definitely feels like I got the high school experience here at Ohio County High School,” Burden said. “Honestly, (I enjoy) the people …. I feel like just being here every day with my friends really … keeps you motivated … and makes you enjoy being here.”

Alex Embry, principal of Ohio County High School, said he was proud of what the class has accomplished especially with navigating challenging circumstances at the start of their high school years.

“They’ve absolutely been through the ringer as far as their academic career goes,” he said. “... These kids have worked hard to make up (for) that loss (of instruction) …. You can see these kids and their perseverance going through the pandemic, and we have some exceptionally bright kids and I think they’re going to do some amazing things after graduation.”

Hoover, who sported the quote “All things go, all things grow” from the Sufjan Stevens’ song “Chicago” on her cap, sees the phrase as a philosophy for her and her fellow graduates of recounting history while also looking forward.

“It’s just sort of about taking your life in the direction that you want to go in, realizing your identity and reflecting on the past with … this feeling of gratitude, looking back on things and being grateful for everything that has gotten you to this moment,” Hoover said, “but also, paving your own path and becoming your own individual, and going forth and having the future that you can feel proud of.”

In Gipson’s speech to her peers and attendees at the ceremony, she used some inspiration when multi-Grammy Award-winning musician Taylor Swift was the commencement speaker for New York University in 2022: “The scary news is, you’re on your own now. But the cool news is, you’re on your own now.”

“I just feel like (with) us getting out in the world, we just don’t need to be scared of it,” Gipson said. “I just feel like we really need to take it in and we need to enjoy it.”