
{"id":6255,"date":"2009-06-18T08:58:06","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T16:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=6255"},"modified":"2009-06-18T08:58:58","modified_gmt":"2009-06-18T16:58:58","slug":"first-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2009\/06\/18\/first-class\/","title":{"rendered":"First class"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/p6122524.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/p6122524.jpg\" alt=\"The first senior class of Carrboro High School joins Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill graduates. Photo by Beth Mechum.\" width=\"150\" height=\"113\" align=\"left\" \/><\/a><strong>By Beth Mechum<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a weekend full of proud families, excited graduates and tearful teachers, no graduation stood out more than Carrboro High School\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n<p>As friends and families poured into the Dean E. Smith Center, escaping a scorching-hot Saturday evening, audio clips of students expressing their gratitude to everyone from parents to teachers to prom dates played over the speakers.<\/p>\n<p>From the outset, it was obvious CHS\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s graduation had a more personal feel than those of East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill High, held earlier in the day, though both were especially meaningful in their own rights. There was just a sense that this was something special, the first-ever graduating class of Carrboro, and the gravity of the event wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lost on the students.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everyone has to begin as a student. Every ballerina, astronaut and president began at a desk with a number-two pencil,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said co-valedictorian Emily Hamilton. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not just any students; we are the first graduates to walk across the stage for Carrboro High.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always easy for the first graduating class of Carrboro High. Many dealt with a tough transition to a new school, and not all stayed. But class speaker Alex Borowski said that that experience was what made their relationships stand out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153By the end of our long trek to where we are right now, there existed a unique bond amongst us,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Graduation guests were told to hold their applause and cheering until the end, but of course none listened. The outbursts were short and sweet though, and were awarded to all 143 graduates.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back on the first graduating class, Carrboro principal Kelly Batten said he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think of a better group of kids to make history.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They really embody the spirit of the school, what we want a senior class to look like, what we want them to be like, the type of leaders we want them to be,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n<p>East Chapel Hill also had a memorable graduation, because it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just the seniors who were leaving.<\/p>\n<p>Beloved principal Dave Thaden, now retired, presided over his last graduation and received several standing ovations from students, parents, faculty and anyone in the vicinity.<\/p>\n<p>Thaden spoke, as did the 10 valedictorians who received straight A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s their entire school careers.<\/p>\n<p>Chapel Hill High School students had to say their own goodbyes to two classmates who passed away during the school year, and Atlas Fraley and Rodney Torain weighed heavily on everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind during the graduation proceedings. The parents of the best friends were given certificates and a short ceremony was held to commemorate the well-liked student-athletes, and graduating senior Amanda Reams spoke to a building full of teary eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We have two empty chairs and a missing place in our hearts and souls because we miss them so much,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Reams said.<\/p>\n<p>Though memories of Fraley and Torain hung over them, CHHS graduates made sure to celebrate the good memories as well, as the five valedictorians recalled the fun moments that stood out over the past four years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Beth Mechum Staff Writer In a weekend full of proud families, excited graduates and tearful teachers, no graduation stood out more than Carrboro High School\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. As friends and families poured into the Dean E. Smith Center, escaping a scorching-hot Saturday evening, audio clips of students expressing their gratitude to everyone from parents to teachers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6255"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6258,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6255\/revisions\/6258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}