‘Together, we have experienced life’
ANSLEY - The 2020 graduating class of Ansley High School had their formal commencement on June 28, 2020. It was a beautiful day for a ceremony, which was very fitting to the program happening inside the school.
All the graduating seniors were in attendance and got the opportunity to meet one last time as a group before they go off and embark on the next chapter of their lives. For many, it may have been the first time they have seen each other since school ended abruptly in March.
It was an emotional day for not only the graduating seniors but for the teachers and staff of Ansley as well. This was well documented in the welcome speech to the students given by Principal Heidi Fessler. She choked back tears as she talked about how good the students of this Ansley class were and how sad she was to see their senior year of high school end the way that it did.
There were four students chosen to give a speech during the senior address. They were Jasmine Pineda-Dominguez, Brianna Ryan, Keaton Moore, and Darla Nichols. Each of the students graduated with honors.
In Jasmine’s speech, she talked about all the friendships that she made while attending Ansley High School and all the lessons she learned from her classmates.
“You have taught me that I will always have somebody to lean on and that you might be on opposite sides of the world or state and still be the best of friends,” Pineda-Dominguez said. “Not even the possibility of World War III could ruin the friendships that this class has created.”
Brianna’s address to the class focused more on the different paths each student will take after graduation and how there will be challenges no matter the course that is chosen.
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“Some of us will go to college, while others will go straight into the workforce,” Ryan said. “Either way, each of us will travel down our own path with challenges we must face. It is important that we meet these challenges straight on, with our heads held high and our hearts wide open.”
On a more light-hearted note, Moore talked about the different traits he believed the teachers would classify the class and himself with. Some of them included being too loud and too overconfident.
In the end, he thanked his teachers and classmates for the time he spent at Ansley and the impact they had on his life.
“Seriously though, going to Ansley and being apart of the graduating class of 2020 is something that has greatly impacted my life and something that I will never forget,” Moore said.
The last speaker, Nichols, gave a unique perspective in her speech. Unlike some of the other students that spoke, she had only four years of memories with them as a class. She talked about the ups and downs of her time at Ansley and how overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
“The first couple of months at Ansley were definitely rough, with some tears along the way,” Nichols said. “Although soon the tears were replaced with laughter. After attending Ansley for four years, getting close with my amazing classmates, and meeting some pretty amazing friends, I can honestly say choosing to attend Ansley was the right decision.”
As each student received their diploma in their hand and hugged their parents, you could see the sense of satisfaction and joy on their faces. The sense of joy knowing that they worked hard for twelve years for this day and that they finally made it.
There is no doubt that the circumstances surrounding the graduation were unfair and painful, to say the least, but it’s important to look at the positive and how this situation and these circumstances can only make you stronger for even tougher challenges in the future.
“To my class of 2020, this is not how I thought our senior year would end,” Nichols said. “I thought we would spend our last two months together, post pictures at prom, and make our last day of school something to remember. If this Coronavirus has taught me anything, it’s that I need to make everyday count and I can’t thank you enough for always being there for me and always pushing me to do my best in absolutely everything. Thank you for making the last four years of my life the best four years of my life, I couldn’t have asked for a better class.”