Saturday, June 13, 2020 | The Newnan Times-Herald — 1C
East Coweta High School
Student honors 2020
• East Coweta virtual awards • Photos honors graduates • A letter from Principal Allen
East Coweta High School Student Honors 2020 Published by The Newnan Times-Herald Saturday, June 13, 2020
Photos courtesy of East Coweta Bob Shapiro, and Rebecca Leftwich Honors night photos are available for purchase online at photos.times-herald.com
We are lights BY HOPE HAZELTON ECHS Valedictorian
Good morning, seniors, teachers, and families. Before I begin, there are several thanks I need to give, first and foremost to God, who is before all things and holds all things together. To my Mama, Papa, and brother, who taught me love from the beginning, and always embraced and supported who I am. To Mr. Young, Mr. Sewell, Mrs. Bowles, Madame Poling and Madame Barber, Mrs. Byrnes, Mrs. Milam, Mrs. Pater, and Dr. Pompeo, who have not only been impactful teachers in my life, but who are also people I aspire to be like. When I first learned I would be delivering this year’s valedictorian address, I was daunted by the task. Though I’ve always enjoyed public speaking, I found myself fretting over every little thing that could go wrong. Would I stumble over the words? Would I tear up in the middle of the speech? Would I be able to find the right things to say? Now, after everything that has happened in the past two months, those fears seem oddly mundane and distant. I almost miss them. They were a part of normalcy, just like braving the Brantley intersection or, if you’re like me, feeling anxious about finding a parking spot at EC in the morning. It’s strange to say goodbye, especially when the end of our time in high school arrived unannounced and unanticipated. When I think about the current situation, the word “overwhelming” is the first to come to mind. Ironically, that same word harkens back to a special memory. One night in late December, I found myself compelled to step onto the back porch, into the cold and darkness. No coat, no socks. Biting wind. It was something that ought to have been miserable; however, my eyes wandered upward. It was a clear night, and the sky was speckled with stars. I looked straight up, into the expanse. It was so...vast. Beneath it I became aware of just how small I was, and for a moment I marvelled at the fact I wasn’t crushed. The sensation was overwhelming, but there was no panic. Instead, I felt peace in my heart, as though the great expanse
had wrapped itself around me and cradled me like a child. Today, as we face something immense, I recall that peace. Even in darkness, our spirits can find calm, comfort, and certainty. Be stubborn. In times like this, a smile is a victory. I think there’s something to be said for the human spirit. It endures. It comes out of hardship stronger than it was before. Class of 2020, I encourage you to keep your head up. Though we may be entering a world that is different, there are some things that cannot be altered. For one, the world is ripe with beautiful things. You can find art in everything you see. Music in everything you touch. As we graduate and prepare to enter adult life, I implore you not to lose a child’s sense of wonder. There’s power in it. Just as there’s power in the love of those around us, in togetherness. These are other things that will not be changed. Our time at East Coweta will be something I always treasure. These past four years have been filled with learning and growth, but also with little moments I’m sure many of us, myself included, initially took for granted. Like waving hello and goodbye to our teachers. Hearing Chief Allen tell us he loves us during the morning announcements. Cheering on our teams and chanting with our band. Laughing, and crying, at the Echostage shows. Cramming for a test with friends at lunch. Group hugs, group prayers. These memories are precious. They hold a special place in the core of experiences that makes us who we are, and that made us ECHS. Today is the start of something new. It may not look or feel the way we expected, but that in no way invalidates all that we’ve accomplished to reach this moment. The time has come for us to gather up everything we’ve learned, and take our first steps into our futures. Though the next big adventure is always an exciting prospect, there’s a certain melancholy to leaving our adolescence behind. A common piece of advice offered when someone is feeling sad is to let go. I say hold on. Hold on to the friendships, the silliness, the days that were special, the days that were ordinary. Hold on, and be at peace. The memories won’t abandon you. Class of 2020, the world is a dark place right now. Together, bound and strengthened by our time as high school students, we are lights. Thank you.
Grow from the ashes BY JOSHUA WHITE ECHS Salutatorian
Graduation Speech, Social Distancing Edition, take 459. The number one thing we’ve learned as students at ECHS is that the hallways are too narrow. The most dangerous place at school was the Longstreet-Brantley intersection during class change. Now, the hallways are empty and have been for months. An invisible, sinister threat lurks in the hallways: COVID-19. March 12 was a normal Thursday, and then, suddenly, on Friday the 13th, school was gone (spooky). What I miss most about school is the people. Sitting with my friends at lunch. Cracking jokes in the middle of English class (to the dismay of Mrs. Byrnes). If you were dual enrolled like me, class continued at home. By the time this speech airs, I’ll have had 8 math classes, which is way too many for any sane, reasonable person. When solving math problems, there are a variety of approaches. Often, you can plug something into a formula and use logic to get the correct answer. However, some problems are not as straightforward. You have to throw metaphorical spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. Real life problems are a lot like that. Sometimes there is a logical answer, but as humans are famously illogical, sometimes there is a lot of pasta on the floor. When you are trying to make decisions, there’s a lot of information out there, and not all of it is true. As our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, once said: “Not everything you read on the internet is true.” There are real consequences to believing in misinformation. For example, some people believe there is a link between vaccines and autism. Although this has been discredited by multiple scientific studies, some parents still skip vaccinating their children. Vaccination has eradicated measles in America; however, cases are occasionally brought back in from people who
have travelled abroad. Specifically, in 2017, a Minnesota community with previously high vaccination rates listened to misinformation and stopped getting the MMR vaccine. This led to an outbreak of measles, 65 cases. Although there were no deaths, the research of Dr. Michael Mina, an professor of epidemiology at Harvard, says measles causes the immune system to “forget” diseases it has already fought. What I am saying here is that we need to listen to science, because when we don’t, people get hurt. With a global pandemic lurking, it is important, now more than ever, to listen to science, and the science says to stay inside and away from people when possible. So what do you do when you are staying away from people? Do you use social media or play video games all day, only stopping for food and bathroom breaks? Yeah, me too - wait I accidentally said the truth - NO No don't do that. While it seems like we have nothing useful to do, we can better ourselves. For example, I’m learning how to cook. Last week I made some hamburgers with homemade buns for family dinner. Not to flex but they were pretty tasty. Next time, I’m making spaghetti with homemade garlic bread. Here’s the part of my speech where I thank people. Thank you mom and dad, without you, this speech wouldn’t exist. My dad taught me how to read and my mom kicked my tail for 4 nights straight trying to get me to write this speech. Thank you to my teachers, it’s very hard to be salutatorian without being taught. Specifically, I’d like to thank Mrs. Bowles, Mrs. Milam, Mr. Young, Mme Barber, Mrs. Byrnes and Dr. Pompeo, you were some of the best teachers I’ve had. I’d also like to give a shoutout to all the nerds I hang out with, you know who you are. Class of 2020, we were born around 9/11 and are heading out into the world during a global pandemic. Certainly, our school year ended unexpectedly. It may seem like this year went up in smoke, but here’s some science for you: the ashes of a forest fire serve as ideal fertilizer for new growth. So out of the ashes of the pandemic comes our future. College, Jobs, Families, a chance to make a difference. So take your spaghetti and throw it at some walls.
DETERMINED. RESILIENT. UNFORGETTABLE.
Congratulations 2020
GRADUATES!
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