The class of 2017 throws their caps in the air as the ceremony ends. Photo by Gretchen Kernbach/Centre View
Centreville High School’s Class of 2017 is ready for takeoff. Dressed in all light blue, Centreville sent off their most recent graduating class on June 16. The 549-student class, filled with 4.0 scholars, Division I athletes, musicians, future military and many more, showed nothing short of success.
The beginning of the ceremony included the presentation of the colors, national anthem, the pledge of allegiance and a welcoming statement from senior class administrator Amy Balint. Following that, Principal Dave Jagels gave encouraging words to the class.
Jagels discussed the value of hope, a trait he felt is often “underappreciated.” He continued, talking about the power of a thank you, inviting all educators from Centreville and in the audience to stand up for applause.
Then came the presentation of the Faculty award, which went to future UVA student Pooja Karandikar. Balint recognized Karandikar as “well respected, empathetic and a good listener,” someone who always encourages cooperation in the classroom.
The scholar address was given by Kourtni McNeil, who plans to study at Northwestern University this upcoming fall. Her speech revolved around being a pilot and flying through life. She implied that she’s “never flown a plane before,” but every day in high school was an added page to her flying manual.
McNeil also touched on the insignificance of getting lost, but rather focusing on the importance of “getting back where you need to go.” The end of her speech was met with a loud applause from her fellow classmates and audience alike.
This year’s guest speaker was Centreville 1994 graduate Curtis Taylor Jr., who went off to graduate from Purdue University. Right now, he serves as the executive vice president of Taylor Integrated Services 3.
“What do you say to the millennials who know everything,” said Taylor.
Taylor reflected on his time back at Centreville; a time with no cell phones and students would get in trouble for having pagers in class instead. He reminded graduates that they need to set high expectations for themselves, as each of them were created for a special purpose.
To the surprise of the everyone in the auditorium, there was another message to be given by a special guest — Ludacris. Set up as a video, Ludacris gave a congratulatory message to the class of 2017, as he attended Centreville in 1993 for one year.
A musical performance was given by Karandikar and Kobie Turner, who did a medley of songs by Ryan Cabrera and The Beatles. Senior class board member Jenna Frisby gave the presentation of the class gift which was a statue for the school’s stadium.
“I’m going to miss the people, friends and teachers, basically everyone who has impacted me over the past four years. Hopefully I will see them in the future,” said Molly Thames.
After the presentation of the candidates and diplomas, the class of 2017 traditionally threw their caps up in the air.