Wayne Christian seniors turn tassels
By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on May 28, 2018 5:50 AM
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Justin Lofton-Russell celebrates during the Class of 2018 graduation ceremony at Wayne Christian School. More than 30 seniors walked across the stage to accept diplomas Friday.
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For the 32 graduates of Wayne Christian School, it was the moment they all had been waiting for -- the day to walk across the stage and accept their high school diplomas.
Many of the students said it was time to write the next chapter of their educational journey. They are now off to colleges and universities.
Just before the commencement ceremony, the graduating seniors hugged each other as well as their teachers. They also thanked their teachers for providing guidance and patience during their time at Wayne Christian.
Matthew McNiell, the class chaplain, said the final senior prayer. McNiell plans to attend Piedmont International University in Winston-Salem.
"I will earn my bachelor's and master degree in biblical studies," McNeill said. "After that, I plan to change the world for Christ. Now that I'm graduating, it means that I can spend my life serving the Lord."
Josiah Simmons said he was excited the time had come for him to graduate high school.
"I'm now looking forward to attending Johnston Community College in the fall," he said. "I will be majoring in biotechnology."
Valedictorian Stephanie Drotts plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"We have grown together, prayed together, cried together and laughed together," she said, during her speech. "We have relied upon one another and, yes, even fought with each other.
"But it is all of these things that have made us into the people we are. I cannot believe how far we have come."
Salutatorian Zeryn Macklin plans to attend N.C. State University in the fall.
"We have witnessed each other's accomplishments and provided a helping hand through hard times," Macklin said. "The Class of 2018 is unique. It is a class of ingenuity, fellowship, integrity, a class full of the spirit and not afraid to show it."
The evening was bittersweet as the graduates presented a memorial garden to the family of the late Hilda Williams, who died in January. Many of the graduates had her as their second-grade teacher. In Williams' memory, her family presented a scholarship in the amount of $500 to Matthew McNeill.
The Rev. Rev. Louis Leigh, pastor of the First African Baptist Church, challenged the Class of 2018 to be a champion for Christ.
"The world is waiting to hear from a champion," Leigh said.