The final Troup County School System graduation took place Saturday morning at Callaway Stadium, as the 250 members of the LaGrange High School 2019 graduating class filed in to receive their diplomas surrounded by faculty, friends and family.

The class and those gathered reminisced on past high school experiences, while the graduates were challenged by their peers to approach the future with clear eyes and full hearts.

Luke Daniel, Senior Class President, thanked school administrators and faculty for the role they have played in leading the class of 2019 to graduation, and challenged his fellow classmates to not forget their hometown.

“Thank you for all you have done for our system and LaGrange High School,” Daniel said to the administrators gathered. “Today marks the end of our high school education, tomorrow we embark on different paths for the rest of our lives. As we take the next step forward, we must remember to look at our home town, and how it has shaped us.”

Student Council President Emma Ward reminisced on the class’ high school experience, sharing that the time moved quickly, and challenging the class to remember their time at LaGrange High School as they move into the future.

“These last four years went by way too fast,” Ward said. “Now, here we are, the seniors of 2019. We all have said countless times, ‘once a Granger, always a Granger.’ As you leave here today, carry that pride with you wherever you go, let it shine in all that you do and accomplish. We are all lucky to be Grangers, and we should be proud of ourselves for all of our accomplishments.”

Commencement addresses were delivered by STAR Student Sierra Wyble, Salutatorian Lydia Alford and Valedictorian Chloe Beall.

Wyble spoke to the expectations of the graduates to this point in their lives, and asked the class to expect the best for the future.

“We all hold a whole host of expectations for what comes next for each of us,” Wyble said. “Keep in mind, however, that we can’t know much for sure, we can only do our best. Shed the belief that your best years are behind you, and invest in the years ahead of you. Expect good things.”

Alford spoke to the myriad of emotions that come alongside graduation, from joy to sadness, and shared her belief the class of 2019 will continue to shine into the future, challenging her classmates to find their passion in life

“Today we become LHS graduates, tomorrow we begin the rest of our journeys in life. Our class will continue to shine and do phenomenal things. As we begin today to write our life stories, I challenge my classmates to find your passion. Find what you love and go for it.”

Beall shared her idea that the throughline connecting the graduates’ senior year with their freshman year has been a collective fear of tripping. From worrying about tripping in the cafeteria as a freshman to tripping on the graduation stage as a senior, that worry has always been prevalent. However, Beall shared these moments are what has made their high school experience memorable.

“However, I think that each of these little moments, where we have tripped, are what have made our last four years of high school so memorable,” Beall said.

LaGrange High School Principal Alton White also shared advice with the graduating class, a class particularly special to him.

“This senior class is special to me,” White said. “You were freshman when I came to LaGrange a little over three years ago. You are the first group of Grangers I have gotten to see from ninth grade through graduation.”

White shared his advice with the class, centered around the Tim McGraw song Humble and Kind, asking the graduates to spend time with loved ones and to not forget their hometowns.