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The senior classes graduating this week from Rockbridge and Parry McCluer high schools have experienced significant challenges and changes during their four years in high school.
Students entering ninth grade in 2020 came into high school at a time of much uncertainty, with many spending part of their high school experience online because of the pandemic.
However, in spite of these difficulties, the classes pulled together, and have many accomplishments to celebrate as they step out of high school and into the next chapter of their lives.
“Our biggest challenge has been the recovery from Covid and getting students back into the routine of school, extracurriculars, and a variety of events,” said Todd Jones, Parry McCluer principal.
“Our students became used to a different format of education during the Covid years and now we are expecting a return to what school was like pre-Covid,” he said.
“This has been a challenge at times, but as expected, our students are overcoming these challenges in great stride.”
Jones celebrated the students’ ability to recover in their later years of high school.
“The students at Parry Mc-Cluer High School have been very resilient as they have navigated out of Covid era,” he said.
“Our students are now engaged at levels that I haven’t seen since pre-Covid so we are extremely proud of them,” said Jones. “Both academics and engagement in extracurriculars are on the rise as we bounce back from the pandemic.”
Parry McCluer High School will graduate 50 students this year. Just over half, 54%, plan to continue into postsecondary education.
Of those, 56%, or 15 students, will attend a four-year college or university. Most will remain in state, with 12 students choosing Virginia schools, while the remaining three will travel to Tennessee, Illinois and Utah.
The other 44%, or 12 students, will be attending two-year colleges, tech or trade schools. Eight of those students will be attending Mountain Gateway Community College.
The rest of the senior class, 46%, will be heading into the workforce or a mission, or are undecided.
This year’s Parry McCluer seniors have a wide variety of career goals. The largest portion, 28%, hope to pursue health-related careers, while 14% plan to go into human services, and another 14% are exploring architecture or construction careers.
Other career areas seniors are considering include education and training (10%), agriculture, food, and natural resources (7%), business management and administration (3%), law, public safety, corrections and security (2%,) and hospitality and tourism (1%).
Jones noted the achievements this class has made both in the classroom and outside it.
“PMHS students are consistently setting records in athletics both as a group and individually. We have received many accolades as a result,” he said.
Though this year’s graduating class is relatively small, Jones has big expectations for their impact.
“Most of all, I am proud of this class of seniors. While a smaller group, this a group with huge potential. They have powerful plans and ideas for their future and I see them ready and prepared to make this important transition in their lives.
“I expect to see great things from this group of graduates and I look forward to seeing what each of these students will achieve in their lives,” he said. “Go Blue!” -Rockbridge County High School Principal Mike Craft also highlighted how this year’s senior class worked to overcome the challenges of Covid.
“I think initially Covid had a really high impact, not only the continuance of learning, but also it had a high impact on their anxiety level, which also impacted their learning,” he said.
“I think the big accomplishment is getting back to normal. We had to suspend so many things when they were younger, dances and assemblies and that sort of thing,” Craft said.
He spoke of students’ willingness to adjust to changing circumstances.
“There for a while they didn’t know what the new normal was, but they’ve adjusted to it, and now we’re pretty much doing everything we did before Covid,” said Craft.
Rockbridge County High School will graduate 214 students this year.
Around half of those, 51%, will attend a four-year college or university, and 60% of those will be going to Virginia schools, including Virginia Military Academy, James Madison University, Hollins University and Washington and Lee University. The remaining 40% have will be attending outof- state colleges, including Texas A&M, Utah State, Stanford University and Ithaca College.
An additional 19% of the class will be attending twoyear colleges, including Mountain Gateway Community College, New River Community College, and Piedmont Virginia Community College.
Another 5% will go to trade schools, including Byers Technical Institute and Lincoln Tech.
Overall, 70% of the students attending either twoor four-year colleges will remain in Virginia.
Other Rockbridge County High School graduates, 21%, will enter the workforce, while 1% will enter the military.
Craft encouraged the graduating class to apply the lessons they learned during and through Covid.
“I would say that it was tough going at first, but you learned that if you persevere that you can overcome a lot of things. So continue that throughout your life,” he said.
“Continue to overcome adversity and learn from it and do better.”
