Special ceremony held
Immediately after the close of the baccalaureate ceremony Friday night sponsored by the Pea Ridge Ministerial Alliance, school officials presented a special graduation ceremony for four of seven softball seniors who would miss the Saturday graduation ceremony while competing in the semifinals of the State Softball Tournament.
“Guys, we appreciate you staying. I will now begin our second event of the evening,” High School principal Charley Clark began immediately after the four young ladies walked to the front of the arena to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance.”
“Congratulations!” Clark said, adding that his message was for all the seniors. “Always keep moving forward… be thankful… always be yourself.
“You’re going to accumulate a lot of wins and losses during the game of life. Don’t be afraid to play. Loosing is temporary. But, so is winning. Regardless of the outcome, always, always, always keep moving forward.”
“Be thankful. A lot of people forget that they get to determine their attitude. Be thankful for the good things and move past the bad things.”
“Please be yourself. It can be hard to be yourself, but it is literally impossible to be someone else.”
“This was the group of kids Pea Ridge needed in 2021,” Clark said, referring to the many limitations imposed by the covid-10 pandemic. “They pvoided great leadership all year and they did it together.”
Three School Board members, Jeff Neil, Mindy Cawthon and Sandy Button joined school superintendent Keith Martin and Clark in presenting their diplomas.
When the softball team won the Friday quarterfinal game of the State Tournament, team members were faced with the quandary of missing the Saturday graduation ceremony to compete in the semifinal game Saturday in Morrilton. The seven softball seniors are Aidan Dayberry, Sierra Huffman, Blakelee Winn, Alevia Reyna, Ravin Cawthon, Emily Beck and Baylie Slone. Dayberry, Huffman, Winn and Slone participated in the Friday night ceremony.