PMHS Grads Urged To Embrace Opportunities
When the 54 students who walked across the stage at VMI’s Cameron Hall to receive their diplomas during Parry Mc-Cluer High School’s graduation ceremony last Friday night, they invoked the symbolic gesture that has been a part of most PM graduations over the years. They also, perhaps unknowingly, reinforced a theme that permeated this year’s festivities: change.
Josh Cooper, salutatorian for the class of 2026, noted the change that he and his classmates underwent during their years in the Buena Vista school system. He explained how they started as timid 5-year-olds and how fast the time had seemed to pass from those first days of kindergarten to the night when they stood in that gymnasium on post at VMI in caps and gowns. And he noted that perhaps some of them felt a tinge of regret as things changed so quickly, but also how that could be a learning experience for more change that is going to come.
“I wish I could go back and take advantage of every day and every opportunity that I was given, and I believe this to be something we all find to be true,” Cooper said. “But maybe that’s not a reason for regret. Maybe it’s the clearest reminder we’ll ever get that the time in front of us is worth fighting for. So don’t get stuck in the past; learn what you can from it and move forward and take advantage of … opportunities God has given us.”
That’s exactly the message senior class president Presley Austin tried to send to her fellow graduates. Austin said that she was a perfect example of change, telling the story of how she transformed from a shy, timid youngster to the leader delivering a commencement address in front of hundreds in that spacious gymnasium.
“If someone had told me when I was a kid that I would be standing in front of a crowd making a speech, I think I would have laughed,” Austin said, confessing her former adversity to situations like that. “I have navigated through them with the help of some really good friends, supportive parents and very understanding teachers.”
Taking that help, Austin composed a letter to her classmates, and she shared much of the advice she had received with them, compiling a list of things that can be beneficial “for this season of your life.” That list included the usual admonitions to work hard and follow the heart. It also came with a warning about change.
“Life goes by in seconds,” Austin said. “Never put off something important to you, and never be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. You can accomplish whatever you want as long as you are willing to work hard for it.”
When that change does come, as many of the speakers Friday noted it would, they also emphasized that the Parry McCluer High School class of 2026 is equipped to handle it.
Superintendent Heather Ault, presiding over her first graduation for the Buena Vista school system, said it did not take long for her to understand what it meant “to be a Blue.” She said that meant pride, tradition and community, traits that would serve this year’s graduates well as they moved forward.
“There will be difficult moments ahead,” Ault said. “Life will not always go according to plan. When those moments come, remember what it means to be a Blue. Blues are resilient; they work hard; and they support one another.
“I hope every one of you carry that with you forever,” Ault continued. “You are capable of making a meaningful difference in the world. Tonight you leave … not just as graduates, but as a Blue for life.”
“You can be change agents,” added PM Principal Todd Jones. “Change is tough, but if you approach it the right way, it can be amazing and powerful. Embrace it … stare it down … and turn it into something positive.”
The idea that Parry McCluer’s class of 2026 could be part of changing the world for the better was shared by valedictorian Vincent Wilson. Referencing the lessons that his fellow graduates had learned over the years, in the classroom and out, Wilson said that the class of 2026 has what is needed to take on the world.
“What truly matters are the skills, experiences and lessons we carry with us from our time here,” Wilson said. “We have continued showing up, learning, adapting and pushing forward, [and] because of that, every person here has the potential to become the best version of themselves.
“We cannot control most of the things that happen around us,” he continued, “but we can control how we respond to them. We only get one life, so make sure you make the most of it. Be smart; be courageous; be helpful; and be kind. Choose to live a life that is meaningful and full of purpose, and do not be afraid to make it as exciting and impactful as you can.”
Will this latest class of Parry McCluer High School graduates be able to do that? Jones told them they could.
“I’ve seen you grow into the find young men and women sitting before me,” the principal said. “I believe you are ready.”
TYLEE WADE, Jaidynn Simmons and Rachel Lawhorne sing the National Anthem at the start of Parry McCluer High School’s graduation Friday evening. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
ABOVE, Lillie Robinson (foreground), Jacob Shafer and Jay Vaughn Shambry head to the stage to receive their diplomas. AT RIGHT, PMHS graduates toss their caps into the air at the conclusion of graduation. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
PARRY McCLUER High School graduates applaud one of the speakers at Friday evening’s graduation ceremony. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
GRACE STRUMB (foreground) and Katie Tomlin process into Cameron Hall at the start of graduation Friday night. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
TEACHER Mike McElroy hands a flower to Presley Austin during her trip to the stage. The graduates placed the flowers on the empty chair in memory of two of their classmates who had died. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
LEVI HEPLER hugs Kaelyn Roberts as the graduates celebrated after the ceremony. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
