BROWNSTOWN — Every year, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend is a momentous day for Brownstown Central High School seniors.
Friends and families of the BCHS Class of 2022 packed into the school’s gymnasium to watch 128 seniors graduate at this year’s commencement ceremony.
Two students, Nevaeh Law and Brittany Watson, passed away in 2018 and were honored with seats accompanying a cap, a gown, a diploma and portraits with their freshman class photos.
Before the ceremony, the nerves were high for some seniors.
Seniors Sydney Grider and Ashley Smith said they were nervous for the ceremony because they didn’t like walking in front of so many people but were excited to go to graduation parties afterward.
Luke Byarlay, another senior, said he was nervous because he hadn’t done something like it before. He said he will miss hanging out with his friends after he graduates.
This year’s class was welcomed by senior Nicholas Minton. He had a message for every graduate, no matter what they were moving onto after high school.
“Regardless of whether you are going to college or straight into the workforce, Walt Disney puts it best, ‘All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,’ and I believe that the Class of 2022 does have that courage,” Minton said.
Thomas Jefferson was quoted by senior Grant Elliott while addressing his classmates during the ceremony.
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done,” he said.
Elliott’s speech spoke to the idea graduation day is not necessarily the end of a long journey but when high school seniors move on to new beginnings.
“While our high school years have come to an end, the remaining chapters of our lives are yet to be written,” he said. “No one other than us is in control of the trajectory of our lives; therefore, if we want something, it is our objective to achieve it. Now is the time that we begin turning our hopes and dreams into a reality.”
This year’s graduates were encouraged by Elliott to achieve goals and not be afraid of failure.
“By stepping outside our comfort zone, accepting failure, learning from our mistakes and maintaining our concentration, we will blossom into a generation of trailblazers and pioneers with the power to redefine humanity forever,” Elliott said.
Members of the BCHS advanced choir sang “Heroes and Dreamers” by Pinkzebra, and the school’s band played “La Bonita” by James L. Tarver.
Principal Joe Sheffer presented the Class of 2022, and diplomas were distributed by Assistant Principal Mark DeHart.
The farewell speech was given by senior Rebecca Edwards.
“Four years ago, we walked in scared little freshmen, and then we blinked,” she said. “Sure, it was a fairly long blink, consisting of a pandemic, hours of homework, sports events, AP and honors classes and extracurriculars, but it still went by pretty fast.”
Parents of graduates, BCHS staff and teachers were thanked by Edwards for their roles in getting students through school.
Before the graduating seniors tossed their caps into the air, Edwards closed the ceremony by quoting BCHS social studies teacher Randy Greene.
“Adios, sayonara, arrivederci, good luck, goodbye, good day and enjoy whatever comes next,” she said.
A graduation parade made its way through Brownstown after the ceremony to give seniors one last goodbye to the people who supported them and a chance to be celebrated by cheering crowds along the town’s roadways.
The BCHS Class of 2022 is the 59th class to graduate from Brownstown Central High School. They also are the 140th class to graduate since the first commencement at Brownstown High School in 1881.