Tucker County Mountain Lions receive diplomas
PARSONS — Tucker County High School’s class of 2017 said their final goodbyes at the Friday night graduation ceremony held at the Mt. Lions football field in Parsons.
Guests watched as graduates walked onto the field. The class sat according to last name, with the Top 10 scoring students sitting in the front row.
The Top 10 students included valedictorian Melanie Adams, salutatorian Elizabeth Nichols, Justin Fike, Abigail Holm, Quinn Buckley, Kenzie Kyle, Leah Underwood, Ethan Crosten, Lindsay Poling and Karsyn White.
The class included 17 National Honor Society members. Forty of the graduates took advanced placement college courses. There were 57 Career and Technical Education completers and four national thespians. Together the class put in more than 3,000 hours of community service.
Principal Jay Hamric welcomed family and friends to the event and introduced Zoey Witt to sing the national anthem.
Hamric praised students for the exceptional job they did throughout their high school career. He also mentioned that the class of 2017 always will have a special place in his heart because of their personality.
“You’ve made me laugh, you’ve made me cry, you’ve made me angry,” Hamric said. “But most of all, I can speak from the heart, I can say I love each one of you. We as the staff and the community can say we love each of you.”
Hamric mentioned things he hopes the students will keep in mind: to work hard, be kind, there is great power in positivity, treat others the way you want to be treated, have an attitude of gratitude and remember that there is a mountain lion that lives in each of you.
After Hamric’s speech, he introduced Brody Strawderman and Eric Emsh to the stage to sing and play, “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Student Council President White was welcomed to the stage after the performance.
She spoke on the future and what she believes students should expect to encounter, as well as how to deal with the things life may throw their way.
“Every day we transcend into our future,” White said. “The thing we are all petrified of messing up or misplacing. In every day, we are taught to diligently prepare for it, but so little are we taught the true fundamentals of the future. The fact that it is ours, and ours alone.”
White also presented Hamric with a wreath from the class and student body to recognize that he will be leaving TCHS after his seventh year as principal.
“We want to present a wreath as a momentum to remember us by,” White said. “We’d like to thank you for all the initiative you’ve taken on for our school, and good luck on your future endeavors.”
Nichols, the salutatorian, spoke next.
“We are a class that truly likes each other and has meshed together rather well,” Nichols said. “I’ll miss being a part of this great group of students. We all have made a ton of memories that we will take with us when we leave TCHS.”
Nichols credited and thanked multiple people such as friends, classmates, family, teachers, coaches and other staff for her success.
“Through personal experience, I’ve learned that you can have high expectations and fail, or come in as the underdog and finish as a champion,” she added. “This can be applied to life as well.”
Nichols passed the baton to the president of the class of 2018, Nathaniel Rader.
Adams, the valedictorian spoke next
Her speech referred to life as a Rubick’s cube, and said that although the colors may get jumbled, they still successfully met the first milestone in their lives.
She thanked family, teachers, staff, teammates and more, crediting them for where she has made it so far in life.
Her emotional speech was concluded with congratulations and encouragement to her classmates.
“Look back on these years and remember who has helped you along the way,” Adams said. “The most beautiful things in life are not things. They’re people, and places, and memories and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter. Congratulations, class of 2017! The world is waiting.”
Hamric, along with teacher and coach Shane Eakle presented the 83 graduates with their diplomas and announced the TCHS class of 2017.
The graduates celebrated with silly string spray and by throwing their caps into the air. Family and friends were welcomed to the field to congratulate and take photos with their graduates.