New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 29, 2024

Editorial: Graduation speeches prove lessons learned outside of the classroom

By Andre Jones | June 18, 2019 4:46 pm

Over the past two weeks, I had the honor of attending the 2019 commencement ceremonies for Charles City and New Kent High School. And while I have attended many of these occasions in the past, it was evident that the messages delivered by the valedictorian and salutatorians in each class that the graduates have already experienced real life situations and adulthood.

Starting in Charles City, valedictorian Jason Brown’s message talked about making others proud and being a representation. He was not afraid to share his message and personal backstory of how just after months he was born, his mother was killed in a drive-by shooting in Richmond. But Jason referenced his strong support system and that his mother provided him an opportunity to live life. That was one that he did not squander, and the result is a full scholarship to Tufts University.

Charles City’s salutatorian Tanner Grubbs spoke about advice given to him by his father. That advice was simple; not everybody is going to like you and want you to succeed. That message is the epitome of what each of us experience in the world today. Not everybody is going to like the choices you make and it’s easy for someone to pick out a flaw instead of the positives. We live in a world where instead of building each other up, we bring each other down. You can tell that Tanner wants to be a young man who builds others up.

At New Kent’s graduation Friday night, salutatorian Brandon Bonner’s words focused on the opportunity to receive a fair and equal opportunity in the first place. He referenced the efforts of Dr. Calvin C. Green, whose work helped desegregate schools not only in New Kent, but the entire United States. Brandon continued, showing his maturity with comments that life is valuable by having a relationship with God and not the riches of the earth. His words of using talents that a person was blessed with is the epitome that the true value of lessons can be learned outside the classroom just as they can be learned inside the classroom.

Finally, New Kent valedictorian Taylor Yates’ message is a prime example of sacrificing to benefit in the long run. Her love for softball and Virginia Tech were the main focuses of her high school career and growing up. Taylor understood that she had to give one up in order for the other one to bloom, which was her love for softball. The analogies in her speech were on point as she encouraged her teammates to find their softball and continue to cherish it, even if it moves on from playing a prominent role in your life.

These four speeches by these incredible graduates is just a microcosm of what the Class of 2019 learned and experienced throughout their educational journey. While they all learn within the confines of walls from incredible teachers and administrators, it was self-taught lessons through experiences that prepped them for the real world.

After hearing words from that quartet, I can truly say that I am comfortable with what they and their peers can provide to society in the future.