News

Faculty, families honor graduates like never before (2)

Guidance counselor administrative assistant Kelly Littauer helps Coleman Allen with his cap and gown as Joshua Dockery looks on.

By Bill Moss and Gracie Milner, Published: June 12, 2020

At the Career Academy graduation, principal Beth Caudle read a few facts about each of the seniors. Jordann Stroud, for instance, wants to become a veterinarian tech before studying marine biology and pursing her dream of “swimming with the Sharks.”

At North Henderson High School, each graduate posed with their diploma and a yellow rose. At West Henderson, the largest high school, graduates and their families drove in under a huge arc of red, white and blue balloons. At East Henderson, teachers cheered as graduates arrived for the ceremony. At Hendersonville High School, seniors received their diplomas and a tangible keepsake of their alma mater — a piece of the hardwood court of the old granite gym that was razed as part of the school construction project.
More than 950 seniors had their formal graduation ceremonies on Friday (Early College seniors graduated in late May) and even a downpour in the late afternoon could not dampen the spirit. The seniors who had missed a senior prom, awards assemblies and other traditions enjoyed a pandemic version of graduation, with their principals, teachers and families honoring them on make-shift stages.