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LANETT — A large crowd filed into Morgan-Washburn Stadium on Friday evening to see 54 Lanett High seniors receive their diplomas. The crowd filled almost every seat on the home side of the stadium, and many more people watched from the top of the hill. It was an impressive turnout for a school with a 2A enrollment.

In opening remarks, Class of 2022 member India Watts thanked the LHS teachers, administrators and staff for motivating the class to make it to graduation night.

“Every one of you made a significant impact on each one of us for us to be here tonight,” she said. “Graduation day is a great time for us, and we have waited a long time for it. It’s a milestone we wanted to reach when we were in kindergarten.”

YaShika Odom recognized this year’s scholarship recipients. Twenty-five members of this year’s senior class received scholarship offers totaling just under $1.9 million. All-State football player Caden Story received over $1.1 million in those offers. He picked Clemson over written offers from Auburn, Central Florida, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Florida. Timmaria Hurston had 20 scholarship offers totaling $437,860.

“It seems like a short time ago we were moving from kindergarten to the first grade,” said Class Salutatorian Madison Davis. “It was a big step for us, and many of us hugged and cried together. From that, we learned that we needed each other more than anything. The time has really flown by since then. We have learned along the way that each of us can make our goals with hard work and determination. We are now passing on to a new phase in our life.”

Class Valedictorian Bobby Moore began his address by taking a selfie of him standing at the lectern with Superintendent Jennifer Boyd and city school board members behind him. That drew some laughter and cheering from the crowd.

“We started high school four years ago not knowing what to expect,” he said. “We went through a lot of changes along the way. It was especially tough our sophomore year when Covid hit in March 2020. The school was closed for a time, and we went to virtual education.”

Moore encouraged his classmates to be true to themselves.

“Don’t let other people’s definitions of success determine what you do,” he said. “Learn to manage your time and always be the best version of yourself.”

“Work hard and play harder,” he added. “Learn to appreciate others. Remember that God powers us to overcome challenges.”

With one exception, Boyd presented each student with their diploma. The one exception was when LHS Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Clifford Story handed one of the black and gold diplomas to his son, Caden. Both broke into big smiles and a warm hug.

Ny’Asia Stanford said the closing benediction, and a six-member chorus made up of graduates and alumni Breanna Glaze, Quintaevius Harris, Timmaria Hurston, Desmond Lewis, Jadon McCullough and Kayla McKinnon led the big crowd in singing the school alma mater.