Schools name top graduates
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 5, 2007 1:47 PM
Wayne County Public Schools will graduate 1,171 seniors during ceremonies planned for this weekend.
Five schools will hold commencement on Friday evening, while Spring Creek High School traditionally holds its event on Saturday morning.
Ceremonies for 21 students in the new Wayne Early/Middle College High School were held May 25 at Wayne Community College.
Valedictorians and salutatorians chosen from each of the six public high schools will be featured speakers at the graduations. Of the 12 honorees, eight have announced plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and three have been accepted to N.C. State University.
The Eastern Wayne High graduation will be held at 6 p.m. at its Warrior Football Stadium, with 281 students receiving diplomas. Valedictorian Sarah Compton will be going to N.C. State in the fall, while salutatorian Anna Wilkins will be going to UNC-Chapel Hill.
Goldsboro High will graduate 110 students during its 6:30 p.m. ceremonies in the gymnasium. Valedictorian Tremaine Rawls will attend Norfolk State University and Lavenia Lipford, salutatorian, will be go on to N.C. State.
At 7 p.m., Charles B. Aycock High graduation will be held at its Hardy Talton football stadium, with 295 graduation candidates. Both valedictorian Nida Waheed and salutatorian Gudrun Gylfadottir have plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill.
Rosewood High ceremonies also begin at 7 on Branch Pope Field, with 117 students graduating. This year's valedictorian is Daniel Ellis, who has been accepted at N.C. State. Salutatorian Carissa Morrison will be attending UNC-Chapel Hill.
The 236 students graduating from Southern Wayne High will be presented their diplomas in Kornegay Arena at Mount Olive College, beginning at 7 p.m. Both valedictorian Bridget Parvin and salutatorian Haley Fail plan to continue their studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.
The only ceremony planned for Saturday morning, at 11 a.m. in Kornegay Arena, will be Spring Creek High, with 111 students receiving diplomas. Both valedictorian Michael Richter and salutatorian Jason Sutton will be attending UNC-Chapel Hill.
The school system is also responding this year to students whose parents are deployed and unable to attend graduation ceremonies. Officials recently announced that each high school is providing free video-taped copies of the events to parents who are overseas.