Summer school graduation is different than traditional high school graduations.
There are 27 graduates, with 23 walking in the ceremony on July 26 at Westlake High School. The robes are not uniform; they create a rainbow with each senior wearing their school’s colors. There’s St. Charles green, Westlake teal and North Point red; navy for La Plata, purple for Maurice J. McDonough and blue for Thomas Stone and Henry E. Lackey high schools.
Teens who didn’t know each other 30 days ago when summer school started June 26, help each other straighten their mortarboards, discuss post-graduate plans and chat like old friends.
Guest speaker Marvin Jones, executive director of schools, said the graduates showed fortitude in earning their high school diplomas. “You had opportunities to give up and you didn’t. You pressed on,” he said. “As great as this accomplishment is, it’s only the beginning.”
Members of the Class of 2017 who earned their diplomas in summer school include:
Henry E. Lackey High School
Zachary Duncan
Mathew Lehman
Hunter Windsor
La Plata High School
Justin Blocker
Ioanna Dyson
Maurice J. McDonough High School
Clarence Bell
James Fournier
Jabari Martin
Bruce McAfee
Arianna Rivera
Disney Sams
Josiah Young
North Point High School
Isaiah Alston
Cheyanne Hayes
St. Charles High School
Dazi’ya Gattis
Jamal Ibrahim
Carlos Marable
Aljieron Parker
Alexas Phillip
William Reynolds
Harlan Weber
Thomas Stone High School
Tyree Johnson
Tevin Washington
Westlake High School
Daikiah Dickerson
William Leake III
Zenobia Smith
Keenan Tyree