Before all the graduation pageantry and the regal pomp at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion, before that May 24 graduation ceremony, there was a “home-base” need to bring everything into view – so that storied occasion was Class of 2024 “Visions of the Future” baccalaureate event in the North Atlanta gymnasium on May 20. “This year’s graduating class, the school’s 33rd graduation class, numbered 561 students, which was the second-largest graduating class in school history.
Visions, held annually in May, features graduates in their graduation gowns – comfortable minus the full regalia for the later event – who process into their seats to the dignified strands of Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance.” The ceremonial event let Class of 2024 graduates celebrate their accomplishments in a familiar “home turf” setting, against the backdrop of the 11 stories where graduates navigated their journeys from 14-year-old anxious freshman to confident 18-year-olds ready to take on the ambitious life and post-secondary academic paths now before them. “It was really special to be able to be at our school, with our classmates, parents and teachers to mark what we’ve all been through together,” said senior Will Burke. “Going out on the patio and just looking at this special building and this special place really meant a lot.”
Seniors Sedona Gibson, Genesis Strother and Maggie Andreski were three members of the Class of ’24 who spoke on behalf of their fellow graduates during the event. In her speech Gibson alluded to the global COVID 19 pandemic that so directly impacted her class’s freshman year. Perseverance, she noted, was a hallmark for the Class of ’24. “We are all here today because we have worked so hard and have accomplished so much in your lives,” Gibson said. “For us, there have been many ups and downs. From the global pandemic to new technological advances, we have seen so many changes in our society. But now, for all of us, the question is: What’s next?”
Andreski recounted the succession of memories that defined the shared times – and challenges – that the Class of ‘24 took on together. There were so many steps, she noted – steps both tedious ones and momentous – that led to their concluding journeys. “From the late-night study sessions to the grind of after-school activities to the Friday nights under the stadium lights, we have undeniably embodied what it truly means to be North Atlanta Warriors,” Andreski said.
The keynote speaker for the event was Tay Hawes, a 2001 graduate of North Atlanta High who now is a successful producer and manager in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry. Hawes, who has produced numerous music videos, commercials and live performances around the country, reminded the most recent graduates from his alma mater that their life and vocational ambitions should mirror their passions. And Hawes didn’t just bring good wishes for the members of the graduating class. He also brought his generosity in the form of three scholarships. Seniors Taj York, Skylar Fleury and Malahk Goldston were each recipients of $1,000 scholarships from the Hawes Media Group to fund collegiate studies in creative fields. York will be studying commercial music at Tennessee State University. Fleury will study architecture at Hampton University; and Goldston will study photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
At the event, graduates were joined by Principal Curtis Douglass and assembled school administrators, along with Jennifer McDonald, district four representative and vice chair for the Atlanta Board of Education. McDonald, a North Atlanta parent, reminded the graduates to focus on their accomplishments, but also to be open to the range of emotions any commencement ceremony might bring. “There might be a little nostalgia and maybe a tiny bit of emotion,” McDonald said. “There could be some nervousness as each of you contemplates how you’re going to adjust to the big changes coming your way in the coming academic year.”
Changes are ahead for this year’s graduation class. So Visions was embraced by the graduates, maybe because of its home campus setting. After the event, the North Atlanta PTSA sponsored a reception on the Hillside patio. Those gathered for the reception streamed across the wide expanse for cake, pastries and refreshments. In the backdrop in crystalline evening light was the colossal North Atlanta building, both anchoring matters and also directing gazes skyward, “Graduation down at Georgia Tech is going to be special but I’m so glad we could be here for this. We’ve kind of grown up here, and we’ve done it together in this place,” said senior Jordan Guyton.
From this school in Buckhead, a hulking and sheltering edifice that straddles a placid lake, from atop these vaulting 11 stories, this much is clear: the vision for the Class of 2024 is bright and unlimited.
