“Life is rarely easy. Hardships are inevitable and there will be times when you feel like the odds are against you. I want you to remember your potential, your uniqueness and your importance.”
These words were spoken Payton Dennis, the Grovetown High School salutatorian during the graduation ceremony on Thursday. During her speech, she spoke about a moment in her junior year that played an important role in her life. She was sitting in class and heard the song “Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine
“There’s a lyric in this song that would later resonate with me, it goes, ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn,’” Dennis said. “These six words seem simple, but like most things they are anything but. A few months after discovering this song my mom unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. There is no proper way to describe how difficult life became after this event. But during my toughest days, those words gave me a semblance of hope, something to cling to. They helped me to to hang on to the idea that goodness can bloom from adversity.”
Dennis encouraged her fellow seniors to keep hanging on and remember their potential and importance in the world.
Valedictorian Keira Inks spoke to the graduates about showing kindness to others through small acts such as returning a shopping cart, giving a stranger a compliment or picking up trash.
“I encourage you all to do just that, try to perform one good deed a day, whether it be as simple as returning your shopping cart or as sweet as reminding your loved ones how much they mean to you,” Inks said. “The choice is yours, but always keep in mind that whatever it is you decide to do, ya’ll have made an impact. Class of 2023, as we continue to grow and mature, do what you can to bring light into this seemingly dark world.”
When Columbia County School District Superintendent Dr. Steven Flynt spoke, he talked about the achievements of the graduating class, including the fact that there were 98 honor graduates with 23 of them being student athletes. Twenty student athletes have signed national letters of intent and earned more than $377,000 in earned scholarships. The graduating class also has several students entering the military, with one going to the United States Air Force Academy and four Governor’s honors program finalists.
“Our presence here today shows you value education and what it means to be a high school graduate,” Flynt said. “It shows your dedication and commitment to success, and it is only the beginning of what we know will be a bright and promising start to your next adventure. You have officially made your mark as a member of the Grovetown High School graduating class of 2023 and continue the Columbia County School District tradition in which a majority of you are planning to continue your learning as you enter post-secondary programs. More than half of this graduating class have plans to pursue higher education beyond graduation and combined have earned an impressive $2.75 million in scholarships with a total of 162 students eligible to receive the Hope Scholarship. Great work.”
Flynt also spoke about how several of the students completed the accelerated career dual enrollment program and now have the required certifications needed for their respective skilled trades. This means they can start working in the fields right after graduation.
Ella Tevid said it felt “exhilarating” to be done with high school, and she couldn’t wait to attend the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, where she was going to play basketball for two years and major in marketing.
“Rough at first,” Tevid said of her high school experience. “But you know you’re learning new things, but then you find yourself in the last two years and you have fun with it.
Tevid said she’ll miss her friends from high school, but is excited to learn how to be more independent while at college.
For Ella Combs, her plan is to attend Georgia College and State University where she’ll major in early childhood education.
“Honestly, Grovetown was very welcoming at first,” Combs said of her high school experience. “I’ve had a great high school experience. It’s a very diverse school, but overall it just feels like a family and a community.”
Combs said she’ll miss the sense of community at Grovetown, but is excited to try new things while at college.
Joshua Peacock described his time at Grovetown High School as “great” and said he couldn’t wait to head to Anderson University where he’ll play football as a defensive end and major in kinesiology.
“I’ve been here for four years. Obviously, I’ve done countless things. I’ve helped, met people I got to do a lot of things,” Peacock said of his time at the school. “I’m part of the theatre community and the football team, and I think I’ve learned a lot from those two.”
Like Combs, he said he’ll miss the sense of community from the high school.
Elizabeth Sumerlin, the graduation coordinator and English/Language Arts teacher, said she always likes attending graduation.
“I really enjoy graduation because I like for the students to have that moment where it is finally that realization that they did it and this is a celebration of them and their accomplishments and we work really hard to make it a special moment for them.”
Grovetown High School had over 400 seniors graduate during the ceremony Thursday morning.
