It was a time of celebration, gratitude, and emotion Saturday morning for nearly 200 North Surry High School graduates, their families, and faculty members who have been with them through their high school journeys.
Jansen Huff, one of the graduates who has served the past year as the student body president, addressed the nearly full football stadium at the school, expressing his “profound gratitude” to the teachers, counselors, and other faculty members he said “helped shape me into the person I am. You all have left such a positive impact on our lives.”
He was quick to add parents and other relatives to the list of those he is thankful to.
“You are the people who…helped build us into the people we are today. You are awesome,” he said.
Jansen, who unlike many among the class did not grow up in the North Surry community, recalled that August 2019 “Was one of the hardest times in my life.” That was the time he moved to the school zone, having to leave behind many friends he had been with throughout his school years.
But he said the other youth in school — those he was sharing a graduation with on Saturday — reached out and made him feel welcome. “Surry County schools is family,” he said. “I wouldn’t change anything.”
Jansen named a number of people — friends in school, relatives, teachers and other faculty — who had played a key role in his life to this point, often with a little joke or quick line about what that person had done for him.
Saturday was, he told his classmates, “Not just a celebration of academic achievement, but a testament to your character, your resilience. You survived four years of hard work.”
Josie Tompkins, the senior class president, did spend her school years in the North Surry school district, and recalled those years in her address.
“The first day of kindergarten does not seem that long ago,” she said. “If anything, graduation is a day we never thought would come…if I could…I would do it all again,” she said.
Voice at times cracking with emotion, she spoke of times throughout the year when the weight of being at the end of her school journey hit her. An athlete who played on the golf, volleyball and basketball teams, she said it was particularly emotional for her during her last home game, when the realization that was the final time she would wear a jersey with the word “Greyhound,” on the front.
Josie also touched on the event that most dominated the early years of their time at North Surry High School — the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s class lost its freshman year together, instead working remotely, largely apart from their friends and classmates. She reminded those present she and her classmates overcame the pandemic to reach Saturday’s commencement.
“Though COVID was a part of our high school experience, it should not define us. Our hard work and our dedication should define us.”
Prior to the two students’ addresses, North Surry Principal Dr. Paige Badgett addressed the audience, sharing some of the achievements the graduates had made.
Badgett told those gathered that 58% of the graduates would be furthering their education — 22% going on to a four-year college and 36% planning to attended a two-year school. Another 34% had plans to immediately enter the workforce, while 3% were headed to military service.
Thirty of those who graduated achieved a weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of greater than 4.0, while another 91 earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Forty-one of the graduates were members of the National Honor Society, while 62 were members of the National Technical Honor Society.
All totaled, the students had secured slightly more than $1 million in scholarships to aid them in seeking college degrees and certifications.
“This is an outstanding group of young people,” she said.
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