News Headlines
"Small graduating class is 'a big deal'"
BY BETH HATCHER, STAFF WRITER
As Greg Cols gave his valedictory address at Cary Christian School's graduation, he was able to work a few brief memories about each of his fellow seniors into his speech.
Those personal reflections are easy to come by when a school has a graduating class of only 10.
On May 21, Cary Christian School held commencement ceremonies at Peace College in Raleigh.
And though the class was small, the group of seniors -- some of whom had been with the school since its inception 10 years ago -- represented a big milestone.
Superintendent Larry Stephenson said the school graduated two seniors about five years ago, but considered this group of seniors its first graduating class.
"The vision of our school is a worthy goal. And lucky for me you guys are turning out pretty good," said Cary Christian founder Tim McClelland, who served as the ceremony's commencement speaker.
"Lord willing, you are the first of wave after wave of classes," McClelland said.
The 660-student private Christian school catering to grades kindergarten through 12 moved into a new campus on Old Apex Road last fall.
"It's a big deal," said Cary Christian science teacher Leslie Simpkins, of the school's graduation.
Simpkins had been with the school for three years. And she too loved its small size. "You're able to provide a better learning environment," Simpkins said.
During his speech to the graduates, McClelland urged students not to leave everything they had learned at the school -- both morally and educationally -- behind as they entered the sometimes tempting world of college.
"Do not attempt to reverse your programming," McClelland told the students.
In her speech, co-valedictorian Audrey Stephenson told students that her hope for her peers was that, "We may each be as faithful as the saints who came before us."
Of the 10 Cary Christian School graduates, eight got their first choice of college that they applied to for future studies, said Gene Leichty, the school's marketing director. The graduates will be attending an array of schools, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
This article originally appeared in Cary News