Cleburne County sends Class of '21 into the world
May 11—HEFLIN — The stands at L. E. Bell Field were filled with families and friends to watch the young men and women of the Cleburne County High School class of 2021 receive their diplomas Monday night. There was hardly a mask in sight, though — a sign, it seems, that the pandemic is receding.
"It seems like it's back to normal, just for a little bit, it's just a great feeling," said Valencia Russell, the school's cheerleading coach.
Russell was helping the CCHS ambassadors — a small and diverse student organization — give out water bottles to the hundreds who showed up to watch the annual rite of passage for the roughly 100 seniors who would all say goodbye to their school.
Members of the class of 2021 had a rough time of it in some ways due to COVID restrictions, but according to the school's principal, Jeffrey Bryant, the class has done as well as any under the circumstances.
"I hope they leave with the mindset of being resilient, because they've had to be resilient the last two years," said Bryant before the commencement began.
Bryant said the pandemic was a life lesson that taught the students to keep going forward regardless of circumstances.
That optimism to overcome adversity was evident in the mindset of senior Naomi Perez who said the graduation itself was a "sappy moment."
"Like sad and happy, I had a lot of great memories here, it's kinda sad to go now," said Perez.
"We kinda felt like we were stripped away from half of our senior year because we were limited to the things we could do, we overcame it, we made a pretty good year," said Perez.
Gracie Sanders was with her fellow seniors in the football team's fieldhouse before exiting to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance.
"It's kinda surreal, we're just happy to have a graduation without masks on and everybody getting to come, especially our friends and family," said Sanders.
Sanders said the pandemic's lesson to her was to appreciate the small things in life.
"I'm going to remember how I learned to not take anything for granted no matter if it's as small as going to school on Fridays with your friends or even to get to sit aside at lunch," she said.
During her address to fellow students, salutatorian Kirby Payton said the pandemic stole memories from everyone's senior year experience.
"Our senior year has been a challenge, the pandemic version, where we had very few dress-up days, only one class competition, we had no lockers to decorate, no homecoming dance or floats, no senior pep rally and we have not seen many of our classmates until tonight," said Payton.
Payton said that for the most part, her fellow seniors took in the moment and complained very little.
"These moments have taught us that life it not always fair, but we made it, we are strong and we are resilient," Payton said.
Stella McWhorter, the class valedictorian, said that nothing stopped her class, not even the pandemic.
"Collectively we have faced the COVID-19 pandemic which really threw a wrench in the plans there for a while, however this class did not let anything stop us,
"Not COVID, not closures, not mask mandates, and certainly not internet outages," said McWhorter.
McWhorter said that she personally redefined what the meaning of success was from a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, who said, "For all the success to be real it must contribute to the success of others."
"Success should be measured by small actions, in the relationships formed around you," said McWhorter.
After all diplomas were handed out the mortarboard caps flew skyward as the seniors embraced and celebrated their senior years.
With tears streaming down her face Chloe Roberts hugged her friends.
"It's sad but happy at the same time," said Roberts.
Staff writer Bill Wilson: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @bwilson_star.
