PHOTOS BY LISA CRATES
STORY BY COOPER HALL
South Iredell High School celebrated the Class of 2023 on Saturday morning in a ceremony that featured a confetti cannon, moving speeches, and plenty of advice for the new graduates.
The ceremony opened with speeches from the student body president Shaiyan St. Brice and vice president Ela Peck.
Peck reminded her classmates of the challenges they have overcome in their four years at South. She spoke of the competition within the class and how this can often lead to comparison. But she cautioned her friend into falling into that trap.
“Don’t get caught up in the lives of others,” Peck said.
Following Peck’s speech, St. Brice spoke about the bonds that had been formed throughout their high school careers. She said those bonds will remain as each person goes onto the next chapter, encouraging her classmates to spread their wings and remember their roots.
St. Brice ended her speech fittingly with a quote from Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
The commencement speaker was Emma Schieck, a 2019 South Iredell graduate who won a gold medal in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. She delivered a moving speech, assuring the Class of 2023 that no one has their lives figured out — even if they seem like they do — and stressed that failure is a normal part of life.
Schieck pointed out that even though she has achieved many things since graduating, she has also made her share of mistakes.
“You can fail big and fail small and still do amazing things,” Schieck said.
Schieck asked the audience to observe a moment of silence, encouraging the graduates to use the time on this overwhelming day to look around at their peers, friends, families, teachers, and school.
“Take a deep breath, and soak it all in,” she said.
She also encouraged the graduates.
“You are going to do things that you don’t even know can be done yet!” she said. “You are going to change your mind, you are going to fail, and you are going to wonder why it seems like everyone is always doing so much better than you. Trust me, I know that I have. But please, please, please also trust me when I say that you are going to figure it out and you are going to be incredible.”
After the speeches, the graduates’ names were called and the South Iredell Class of 2023 officially became high school graduates.
Principal Robert Little closed the ceremony by reminding the graduates of their place at South and then led them as they chanted along to the words that every student who calls the Viking Valley home knows all too well:
“Service, Innovation, Honor, Success.”
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