Eastern Wayne graduation held
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 14, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Ariel Fonner, left, and Jordan Everett smile as they turn their tassels and become graduates of Eastern Wayne High School.
Nixie Fonner arrived at the Eastern Wayne High School graduation Saturday morning with a plastic bag brimming with oversized placards of her daughter's smiling face. Nine of them, in fact.
"One for each of us," she said of the contingent gathering to cheer on honor graduate, Ariel Fonner, who will head to Princeton University in the fall. Some even traveled from Panama for the occasion, she said.
"We're all wearing Princeton shirts," she said. "I couldn't be more proud. She's going for pre-med."
Graduate Imani Oliver also had her own cheering section, led by her grandmother, Jacquenette Mitchell, who easily rattled off Imani's high school resume -- homecoming queen, president of student government, National Honor Society.
"She plans to go to ECU, and she wants to become a doctor," Ms. Mitchell said.
She had two blow-up images of her granddaughter's face in tow -- "one for her and one for me," she said.
Savannah Landers will be going to College of Charleston in the fall, for pre-med, but her mother, Lara Landers, is already feeling the emotions welling up.
"She's so excited," she said. "Oh, my gosh. I'm going to miss her so much. She keeps our house very entertained and lively.
"But she's so excited and she's very prepared and she's going to do a great job wherever she goes and I'm very proud of her, every day."
Strains of Pomp and Circumstance began a few minutes before 9 a.m. Saturday as 250 graduates, clad in gold caps and gowns, were escorted onto the football field of Warrior Stadium.
Unfortunately, those were the most audible sounds heard in the stands.
"Can't hear!" was a common cry among friends and family members of the graduates who had gathered for the occasion.
"A couple speakers blew" the evening before, a school official said. The problem became apparent during Friday night's rehearsal, with students told there was a possibility the audio would be in question during the ceremony.
"I'm going to get phone calls all day Monday," the official said, bracing for the fallout.
But even the sticky heat and the faulty sound system couldn't damper the pride in the graduating class.
Mary Dugan, a counselor at the school "forever," gave high marks to the departing group of students.
"They're a fantastic class, one of the strongest, best classes we have had," she said. "That best great class is not just me -- at practice last night, at the awards ceremony, faculty and staff members just all agreed. We're going to miss these kids.
"We love them. We will miss this group for sure."
Salutatorian Cameron Dove plans to study physics in the fall at Davidson College. She drew upon the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote -- "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail."
She did just that, senior year, veering off the path of playing tennis and soccer to try out for the football team. It had paid off, as she became starting kicker in the fourth round of state playoffs and made friendship with "awesome teammates" who had become like her brothers.
Valedictorian Cullen Tyndall, who will attend Duke in the fall, encouraged his classmates to carry their success forward, "daring to look beyond the superficial aspects of society and toward positive relationships with one another.
"Don't look to fit in with the popular crowd, proudly be the person you are meant to be. Instead of worrying about the things you cannot change, make it your mission to change the things that truly matter."