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If there’s one word that could describe the Rockbridge County High School class of 2023, it would be resilience.
As valedictorian Ryan Squire noted in his address during the graduation ceremony on Thursday night in Cameron Hall, the 237 students who graduated on Thursday were freshmen when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, canceling in-person learning during the spring of 2020 and learning virtually as sophomores as well.
“From sophomore year, I remember virtual learning during Covid, and specifically my weeks towards the end of the school year,” said Squire. “Due to the obvious circumstances, students taking end-of-year exams would often take those exams without ever having been in the classroom.”
Squire said that, to study for his Advanced Placement Biology exam, he got into the daily habit of face timing his friend Megan “and somehow convincing ourselves to study for maybe an hour, which was probably closer to 10 minutes. I remember the call becoming a morning routine that was then followed by a forgotten mush of virtual laziness in pajama bottoms.”
In addition to enduring the pandemic, the RCHS class of 2023 dealt with the loss of a classmate, 18-year-old Devin Riley, who died in a singlevehicle crash near Fairfield on May 7. Before the diplomas were awarded to the rest of his class, Riley’s brother and sister, Rebecca and Keith, accepted his high school diploma on his behalf.
Prior to the salutatory and valedictory addresses, RCHS senior class President Cohen Paxton welcomed the audience and gave his address.
Like Squire, Paxton reflected on how he and his classmates had to take their classes online as sophomores. “While I want to thank all the teachers sitting on both sides for everything that they did, let’s be honest – they were just as lost as we were,” he said. “But we did it. We got through it, and then we came back to school our junior year, arguably the most important year of our high school, and we did that after almost teaching ourselves for a full school year.
“If anyone ever questions your ability to get through hard times, I think that should point out that you can do anything,” added Paxton.
Looking at the future, Paxton, a pitcher for the Wildcats’ baseball team, told his class, “We are about to be thrown the biggest curveball in maybe human history.”
In order to successfully start the next chapter, Paxton said, “You’re going to have to narrow your focus. Narrow it to that one thing you know will make you the best version of yourself. I know everyone sitting in front of me and everyone who walks across this stage tonight is capable of amazing things, and I hope to one day hear about them all.”
Paxton ended his speech by saying, “Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat. No matter where we end up, no matter what we do, we will always be united through our Rockbridge County family. Once again, congratulations, class of 2023, and thank you.”
Following Paxton’s address, RCHS Principal Dr. Michael Craft offered his remarks to the class. After remembering Riley with a moment of silent reflection and having RCHS Assistant Principal Scott Fleshman give Riley’s siblings his diploma, Craft spoke of the importance of choosing the right words in life.
Craft shared with the audience a point that resonated with him from a speech delivered by Mike London, the current head football coach at the College of William and Mary. “What you say to others makes a difference,” said Craft.
Putting his own spin on London’s point, Craft said, “Words are powerful. They have the incredible power to both positively and negatively affect people, and it is your choice to use words to either inspire or destroy.”
Craft said he would try to stay away from the negative, but he noted, “Some words are like weapons that affect people immediately, and some words are like poison that affect people over time, so I encourage you to be careful what you say because, once said, words are hard to take back. Words matter.”
“Some particularly powerful words for me are kindness, hope, empathy, trust, love,” added Craft.
“Positive words have the power to change lives for the better, and the more times they are said, the more effect they have,” Craft continued. “You have the power to change how people view you and how they view themselves. Even something as simple as a ‘good morning’ can get people’s day started off right.”
Following Craft’s remarks, RCHS salutatorian Brian Kendall gave his address. Kendall told his classmates, “We’ve done a lot to get here. We’ve gone through difficult classes, late nights, grueling races, and cold and rainy games. We’ve even gone through a literal pandemic. It’s been quite the ride. Today’s graduation is just the symbolic end to an experience more vast than the ceremony itself could ever hope to capture. The lessons we’ve learned, the relationships we’ve forged, and the memories we’ve made are proof that our four years of high school have culminated into infinitely more than these silly square hats and a nice piece of paper.”
Kendall, a three-sport athlete who ran cross country and track and played soccer, said his high school experience “wouldn’t have been the same without the coaches who encouraged me through 5Ks and [4 X 800-meter relays], who helped me learn from my mistakes on the soccer field, without the teachers who helped me understand redox reactions, table saws, or uniform circular motion, without my family who helped and reassured me beyond measure, and without my friends who made me happy to come to school every day. I know we didn’t all have the same people, but all had them, and on behalf of this class, I want to say thank you.”
Following Kendall’s address, Squire gave his speech. In addition to reflecting on learning during a pandemic, Squire also expressed his gratitude for his classmates. “You’ve helped us have these incredible moments with each other by being there, being yourselves, being resilient, and caring about having a valuable and memorable high school experience,” he said. Squire also thanked his friends “for making high school special for me.”
