By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department
Community High School students felt the payoff of hard work at Wednesday’s graduation ceremony, hosted by Asheville Christian Academy.
Grads couldn’t contain smiles as they walked across the stage to cheers from family and friends. Many received scholarships to continue their education.
“You are strong; you are brave, brilliant, and daring,” said BCS Curriculum Specialist and keynote speaker Eric Grant.
He told students to believe in their dreams, believe in themselves, and get up after every fall.
“Some of you are charting a new course for your family as the first to graduate high school,” he said. “Even more of you, your dreams of graduating college will also be a first for your family. You are a strong and talented group of young people, and I am proud to stand before you today.”
‘I FELT RESPECTED’
“It’s exciting, a good feeling,” said Amahdi Allah, one of the seniors who graduated on Wednesday. He thanked his teachers for pushing him when he didn’t feel like studying – and for believing in him.
“They give us freedom and flexibility, but also make us stay focused,” he said. “I used to be off task most of the time, but now I know what I need to do.”
He made a special shout-out to English teacher Stephen Gray.
“I used to think reading wasn’t for me,” Allah said. “At my last school, I just acted up and didn’t even worry about the reading. But when I got here, Mr. Gray opened my mind. He made learning fun. We acted things out, listened to audio books. We just tried all kinds of ways to learn. Mr. Gray and the other teachers understood when I was having a bad day and worked with me. I felt respected.”
STUDENTS SOUND OFF
