The first to speak was Principal Dunham with a hearty welcome to all in attendance. Giving the Invocation was James Artis, Student Council President. Then Dunham introduced Superintendent Crossley for Opening Remarks.
Crossley began with a bit of crowd participation, saying, “If you can hear me, clap once. If you can hear me, clap twice. If you can hear me, look somebody in the eye that you came with and say ‘We made it.’”
He introduced school board members-elect Nathaniel “Peaches” Holyfield and Lakesha Jones, both of whom won their seats in Tuesday’s election. “For the board and on behalf of our overall administration, I just want to say thank you for your presence tonight. Students, thank you for your work.”
Crossley then focused on the nature of days that celebrate attainments that take time and effort to complete. “When I think about graduation this season, I think about the secret place and the sudden place,” he said. “So when you walk across that stage and everybody's cheering for you, and your parents are cheering for you, it may seem like this sudden thing that has happened. There's a sudden accomplishment that you have. You're throwing your cap up in the air. You're excited. But all along the way, there were those moments behind closed doors where you might not have thought that you would make it. And for parents and family, there might have been times when you didn't think that your student would make it.”
“But it didn't happen all of a sudden. It took all the love and support from the people in the audience to get our students across the finish line. So thank you. Thank you parents, thank you family members and students, most of all. Thank you for not giving up, for going from that secret place to your sudden accomplishment. We love you. We thank you and rest in your moment.”
Next to speak was Heather Flowers, Director of the Hope Collegiate Academy which allows students the chance to earn associate’s degrees from University of Arkansas—Hope Texarkana. She recognized the 13 students by name who were conferred those degrees earlier this week.
Flowers said all 13 plan to transfer to a four-year university. She also offered words worth remembering: “Students, you have taken countless instructions from me this year, but please hold tight to these words. You are loved beyond measure. You were created on purpose for a purpose, and you should always carry Hope with you wherever you go.”
College and Career Coach for Hope High Rachel Holt spoke of the Class of 2025’s plans and the help they will have in pursuing them. “We have 87 graduates attending college, six enlisting in the military, and 42 going into the workforce. In this class, we also had 11 band scholarships, five all-state students in band and athletics, 125 career and technical pathway completers, one student earning AP credit, 15 students who attended Boys and Girls State, seven students earning the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy, 17 National Honor Society graduates, 14 graduating with an Associates of Arts Degree. Eight students graduating with a certificate of proficiency. Also, we have students attending 15 plus different colleges and receiving $2,017,897 in scholarship awards.”
Hope High Assistant Principal Jeffrey Burton recognized the 26 Honor Graduates-to-be by name. Each was presented with a medal for their achievements courtesy of Farmers Bank & Trust.
The first student speaker was Summa Cum Laude graduate-to-be Kennedy Phillips who said, “We started as individuals, each with our own story, aspirations and uncertainties, but over time, through each class project and challenge we faced, we've woven into something greater, a family.” She acknowledged there were moments of doubt whether they would all make it to commencement day, but “we did.”
She challenged her classmates by urging them not to accept a staid status quo. “As we move forward into this next chapter of our lives, let's promise to be bold. Let's be brave in our pursuit and passion. Let's be kind in our interactions with others, and let's never stop learning. We've worked hard to get here. And the best part: this is just the beginning. The world is waiting for what we have to offer,” Hale said.
The other Summa cum Laude member of Hope’s Class of 2025, Tyrenda Hale, touched on how long a way she and her classmates have come since starting high school. “To the class of 2025, it's been a long four years. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that freshman year, I was a completely different person and fully unprepared for high school. If you would have told me back then that I'd be standing here giving this speech, I think I would have laughed. But a lot can change in four years. … Here we are, despite the late nights, early mornings and the personal battles that no one else saw. We showed up, we kept going, and that alone is worth celebrating.”
She closed by saying, “Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Take risks. Always keep going. Be you without apology, and most importantly, spread happiness whenever you can. The future is yours.”
In her introduction, Teresa James, Assistant Principal of Hope High, said Dr. Loretta Neal McGregor, a returning Hope High graduate, current Associate Dean of Arkansas State University’s College of Education and Behavioral Science and Professor of Psychology has made major contributions in research on the imposter phenomenon as well as on the legacy of social psychologist Mamie Phipps Clark.
“A thousand years ago, or so it seems, I graduated from this very same football stadium. I am a proud member of the 1983 graduating class of the Hope High School,” McGregor said.
She had some advice for the graduates-to-be. “Number, one, don't let other people kill your dreams by telling you what you cannot achieve. Only you and God alone know what you can and cannot do. Realize it is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes help you grow. If you never make a mistake, you will never grow.
“Travel, whenever possible. See different parts of our wonderful country, and if possible, see different parts of the world, because traveling will make you a more compassionate and a better human being. Remember the borders to the state of Arkansas never close. You can always come home. I'm an example of that.
“Stay humble and never ever forget that you are from Hope, and you can always have Hope with you, because it is your home. Your education here at Hope High School has prepared you well for the challenges that lie ahead of you in life,” McGregor said. And after celebrating this weekend, she told the graduates-to-be, “Go forth, use your God-given gifts and make a positive impact on our world.”
From then, the diplomas were presented, with each senior coming forth to receive their diplomas and hugs, pose for a picture and resume their respective seats. After the singing of the Hope Alma Mater for “the grandest school,” Principal Dunham pronounced the Class of 2025 to be graduates and asked that they turn their tassels.
Then mortars were tossed skyward trailing their tassels, most everyone tracking theirs down afterward so that during the processional, they could wear them proudly.
