‘A momentous occasion’: YHS and FBHS celebrate graduation

The Classes of 2023 at Yulee and Fernandina Beach high schools finished off their high school careers with last week’s commencement ceremonies.

Each school heard words of teenage wisdom from its respective valedictorians, salutatorians and class presidents before walking the stage to receive their diplomas. The addresses focused on everything the students have accomplished thus far and an enduring hope for the future.

“As we graduate from high school, there will be vast challenges that we face,” Yulee High School valedictorian Sebastian Joinville said. “However, I think that everyone who receives their diploma today will overcome them.”

FBHS had two salutatorians this year, Amelia Cutshaw and Max Pattillo. In her speech, Cutshaw insisted the class of 2023 was the one hardest hit by the covid-19 pandemic.

“So what if (the class of 2020) didn’t have a prom?” she joked. “We all know they still had the parties.”

This year’s graduates had their freshman year turned upside down by the pandemic, when an extra week of Spring Break turned into too many weeks of Spring Break.

“But what I’ve learned,” Cutshaw went on to say, “is that life isn’t a competition and it doesn’t matter who got in first. What matters is how we bounce back from our challenges and how we keep planning ahead despite them.”

High school can be rough, and FBHS class president Brooks Rohe congratulated every senior in attendance who had “literally crawled, jogged or flew through the past four years.”

Students were sure to voice their appreciation for everyone who has supported them through their high school careers.

“First off, I’d like to say thank you to my teachers for all the time and effort they put into my education,” Pattillo said in his speech. “Thank you to my friends for all the laughs, the support and the answers to calculus homework. You guys are the best.”

“I will never forget the time that I waited till the morning of to study for my biology final,” YHS salutatorian Tristny Ta said. “I chose to spend the weekend preparing, experiencing and then recovering from the prom festivities with my peers. And I honestly do not regret the various times I chose my loved ones over a letter grade that was supposed to be a representation of my intelligence.”

Collectively, this year’s graduates were awarded with millions of dollars in scholarships. They are each headed for various universities, trade schools and employment opportunities.