Warhawk Nation 2020: Inaugural Senior Class Prepares to Leave a Legacy of Kindness
Arianna McCurry is excited to be one of the members of the first graduating class at GCHS.
November 1, 2019
Imagine this: it’s senior year. You’re getting ready to graduate, and you’re in a brand new school. As a senior, you walk your alma mater’s halls for the first time, proudly sporting new colors of green and blue, and prepare to make the inaugural walk of a Great Crossing High School graduate. For most seniors, graduation is something they envision for four years. They see others go before them and join a long tradition of previous graduates. For Great Crossing seniors, though, the class of 2020 will be the first graduating class of the school. They will be the first to have their Warhawk Nation graduation picture mark the halls of Great Crossing.
For this class, being the first is significant. Two seniors, Emma Spencer and Emily Bevins, once birds of another feather, shared how their flight as Warhawks led them to define the senior class of GCHS and prepare them for graduation.
As one can expect, to be the inaugural class of GCHS is both exciting but also strange. Senior Emily Bevins explained that the feeling of being the inaugural class is a bit “odd.” She added, “I’m so used to having to interact with classes older than me; however, at Great Crossing, the majority of the students are underclassmen.” Bevins added that this is indeed a unique phenomenon, replying that while the “numbers will eventually even out” she won’t be here to see it.
On the other hand, being first is exciting. Spencer noted, “It feels incredible to be a part of the inaugural graduation class at Great Crossing. Not many kids get the opportunity to make history, and I’m so thankful I got that chance.”
Benefits abound with a smaller class size. One goal Bevins has is to learn the names of all her classmates, “It was impossible to learn your entire graduating class at Scott County because there’s no way for you to interact with over 600 people,” she said. “The 200 in my current graduating class is a much easier number to learn.”
Another benefit is the level of engagement students can have with the GCHS administration. Bevins is particularly complimentary of them. “The administration at GCHS actually makes it known that they care about the well being of their students. Not a day goes by that I don’t see the principal, Mrs. Lusby, somewhere in the hallways.”
Spencer noted, “We have 216 unique and talented individuals that make up Great Crossing’s inaugural class and that needs to be emphasized.”
The class of 2020 is indeed unique. Their hopes to create a positive culture are being realized. In describing her class, Spencer credited the Warhawks as being made up of “brave and true leaders who are strong and proactive, but most of all, one.”
Bevins defined a Warhawk student as one who is “dedicated to exploring new areas.” She noted that as Warhawks, “We’re curious, full of pride for our school, and ready to make a name for ourselves.” It may partly be this curiosity that led many seniors to the new halls of Great Crossing.
Changing schools was certainly not easy. Spencer admitted how leaving SCHS “was intimidating because I loved my teachers and my friends.” She added that “the hardest part was saying goodbye to the choir family. But, I still hang out with my friends on a regular basis and they even come to games to cheer on Great Crossing with me.” And stronger it is due to the bonds built as a new class and through the new identity of what it means to be a Warhawk.
This quality is something Bevins hopes will be remembered. “I want our class to be remembered in the yearbook for our willingness to support each other. There are people I’ve never even seen before in my own class, and they’re still willing to pick up a conversation with me. Our senior class is really good at extending our social circles to include the people whose friends are still at SCHS.”
