Gallery: Callaway High School graduates nearly 200 Cavaliers
Published 8:37 pm Thursday, May 26, 2022
Callaway High School's salutatorian, Charlie J. Lin, addresses his classmates.
A chair was decorated in a white ribbon in memory of Alyssa Shirey, who passed away from cancer in 2017. She would have graduated with the class of 2022..
Hyeonju Kim
Niakoe Equoia Burks
Lauren Tylar Cribbs
Callaway High Principal Jason Graham congratulates his students.way High Principal Jason Graham congratulates his students.
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Resiliency was the theme of the 2022 Callaway High School’s graduating class Thursday night as nearly 200 graduates faced inclement weather that threatened to rain out the celebration. The ceremony was almost redirected inside the First Baptist Church on Hammett Road, and graduates even practiced the ceremony inside just in case the weather went sour.
However, thanks to the coordination from Callaway High staff, which included moving up the ceremony up two hours, graduates got to celebrate at Callaway Stadium.
Graduates and guests heard remarks from the class’ star student, valedictorian, salutatorian and principal.
Salutatorian Seonyeon Alex Cho opened spoke on the class’ combined memories, late-night projects and failed-drivers tests to name a few. He also recalled the historic day in 2020 that stalled their high school experience.
“On Friday, March 13, 2020, our high school journey stumbled upon a very sharp turn,” Cho recalled. “For almost a year-and-a-half, we went to school online. We woke up just before class, ate breakfast during first period, and stared awkwardly at each other as the teacher asked a question to 21 muted boxes.”
As they did Thursday, CHS persevered and pushed through what threatened to be a less-than typical school year.
“We adapted, overcame and became the most invulnerable class of the history of Callaway High School, and here we are graduating in the midst of one of the most historic events of the last century,” Cho said. “Twenty years from now, we’ll be telling our kids about this, their kids and their kids.”
Callaway High Principal Jason Graham briefly paid tribute to a would-be Cavalier, Alyssa Shirey, who died in 2017 from cancer.
Graham then spoke of how every moment and experience graduates faced had led them to their current moment.
“You’ve stayed the course and finished the race, and I hope one of the most important things you’ve learned throughout [your] journey is how to invest in people and relationships,” Graham said. “None of us would be here without the love, support and encouragement from the friends, family, teachers, mentors and advocates in our lives. I hope you never forget the feeling of being a Cavalier, knowing you’re an important part of a team, a family, that believes in you and will carry you through adversity, carry you when you are weak, challenge you to give your best and cheer for you when you succeed.”
