Andrews – Precipitation ended on time like a train pulling into a station on schedule, making way for a rainbow above Andrews High School as the Class of 2021 graduation ceremony began Thursday evening.
The contingency plan to hold the ceremony indoors was not needed, as students and their families were more than willing to brave moist seats. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the school to hold a socially distant graduation event last year, making this year’s traditional walks across the stage that much more special.
“Nine months ago, no one would’ve imagined that we’d have the opportunity to gather in celebration tonight,” student council President Kaitlin O’Dell told the graduating class.
Principal Lance Bristol, who transferred from Andrews Middle School in January, said the pandemic revealed weaknesses that were refined into strengths as the community weathered the storm. He told graduating seniors to “keep believing, keep building, keep beginning.”
“Twenty-twenty-one is a time to cast off ‘if onlys’ and the ‘should have beens’ and gather the stones of potential,” Bristol said.
Fifty-six students graduated among the Class of 2021, with Shelby Layne McDonald being named Outstanding Senior Girl and Johnathan Landan Hedden named Outstanding Senior Boy.
“It’s definitely been rough with COVID and sports and working full time, but everybody in this class did an amazing job,” said Hedden, who plans to attend the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga next year to study civil engineering. “We’ve had a good journey.”
In an address to the class, graduating senior Kena Jaylee Vaughn-Grindstaff advised students to lead by example as they step out into the world and remember the community that helped them make it this far in life.
“You never know what someone is going through behind closed doors,” Vaughn-Grindstaff said. “Choose to be someone’s light in the darkness because you may save their life just by being kind. Choose to see the good in things because there’s always going to be something that could be better, but you have to live your life one day at a time and keep moving forward. Choose to be kind because in 10 years no one’s going to remember who the star quarterback was, who won prom queen, or who was the top of our class.
“People will remember who made them feel accepted, who showed them kindness and who made them smile.”