May 23, 2024 – Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools officially kicked off graduation season this morning with the commencement ceremonies for the Early and Middle College of Forsyth.
Both the Early College and the Middle College represent partnerships between WS/FCS and Forsyth Technical Community College. Students in the program complete the course requirements necessary to graduate from high school while also earning college credits and potentially even securing their associate degrees before their high school diplomas, allowing them to either enter their chosen career field early or get a head start on time and money when they advance to a four-year university. It’s a rigorous process that takes hard work and precise time management, but dozens of students proved today that they were up to the task.
“By taking on the challenge of college-level coursework, you have demonstrated a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for intellectual growth that is truly inspiring,” said Dr. Janet Springs, President of Forsyth Tech.
College coursework wasn’t the only extra hurdle that Thursday’s graduates had to clear. The Class of 2024 are among the final students whose high school experience was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they spent their freshman year struggling to adjust to the increased stakes of high school while attending classes from behind a screen. Fortunately, they eventually got to return to the classroom, meet face-to-face with their teachers, and learn to identify their classmates by more than their eyes and hairstyles. They can now confidently look forward to the days when they recount distance learning as just one more bump in their road to success.
“We’ll now have our own stories to tell our children, just like our own parents did when they told us that they had to trek through mountains or swim through treacherous waters full of alligators and crocodiles to go to school,” said Early College Valedictorian Nathan Hoang.
Even without these additional barriers, making it to high school graduation is an arduous task, and the biggest work is still yet to come. However, it’ll do the students well to remember how far they’ve already come and take the time to appreciate the victories they’ve earned. Board of Education Member and Keynote Speaker Richard Watts encouraged the graduates to enjoy the little things in life, spending time outside and celebrating any occasion that they can.
“You may not understand it now, but life is too short,” Watts said. “Take time to have fun… if you have fun in your life, I can guarantee you’ll live a little longer.”
WS/FCS is proud to have been home to these exceptional students for as long as it was, and while there’s a whole world of accomplishments awaiting them just over the horizon, today is the perfect day to celebrate the incredible difference that they’ve already made in the lives of their families, their teachers, and each other.
“However small you think your victories may be, I want to congratulate you for each and every single one of them,” said Middle College SGA President Caleb Roopchan. “You deserve it, and so much more.”