173 wave goodbye to Rustburg High School

Valedictorian: Ashley Nichole Heath

Salutatorian: Michelle Diane Whitman

Number of Graduates: 173

Speakers: Alicia Chaynel Moore, class president; Linda Gray, director of secondary education for Campbell County Schools; Roger Akers, school board member for the Rustburg district; Michelle Diane Whitman, salutatorian; Ashley Nichole Heath, valedictorian; Mary R. Bailey, teacher; and Principal Denton Sisk.

Quotes: “Some of the people you call friends, you won’t keep up with, but some will become lifelong friends,” said Akers. “They are just as valuable as your family. They too provide you with love and support.”

“Live through the hours of today,” said Heath. “Today is this second, this breath, these moments we step across this stage. If tomorrow never comes, we always have our yesterdays. … Take a deep breath and look back, but don’t look back too long or you’ll miss today.”

Teacher Mary Bailey gave the graduates four pieces of advice: “Value those you come in contact with. Take risks. If the ship is sinking, get off and failure is an option.”

Sights and Sounds: As family and friends waited for the commencement to begin, the large screens in the Vines Center showed pictures of the senior class and their activities during their time at Rustburg High School.

The graduates entered the Vines Center and walked down a path between their teachers, some of whom patted the students on their backs or gave high fives.

As Moore finished her speech, she asked her fellow graduates to begin tossing the beach balls. A couple rolled toward the stage, but others batted them around as Principal Denton Sisk began to speak. He paused until the beach balls stopped bouncing.

Instead, the seniors began blowing bubbles during the speeches, which drifted up into the bleachers.

As the graduates’ names were called, air horns and cowbells rang out among the cheers.

Notable: Bailey, an author, assigned her students an essay on what they would do if they knew they would not fail.

From their responses, she wrote a poem that she read to the graduates, talking of watching every sunrise and sunset, of curing cancer and exploring other worlds.

“Would you finally say I love you since they would say I love you too? … ” she read. “Would you live your life to the fullest?…

“For the class of 2009, we know you cannot fail.”

The graduates gave her a standing ovation.