A Class Deeply Rooted

The classes that have made this walk from Celina High School across the generations are no different. Each has come and gone too quickly, it often seems. Yet, each has made a mark that has been woven into the tapestry of the City’s history, and those legacies become part of the platform from which future generations may launch.

Celina High School’s Class of 2024 had big shoes to fill.

Decades upon decades of students graduating from Celina High had set and raised the standard. But this class was unique. Parents of the school’s graduating seniors often talked about this group with phrases like, “there is something special about them,” “they are not your typical high school seniors,” and “I can’t pinpoint it, but this group is different.”

Different, they were indeed. Oh, they were typical students thriving through their later teen years. This class was far from perfect, but the character of the class, collectively, was perfectly unique. Their friendship ran deep. Their cliques were few. They understood each other. Drama was absent almost always. They supported each other fiercely and displayed a loyalty to one another and to their school that seemed impenetrable. Their parents were as close as the kids. They represented everything that was historically rich and genuinely good in their hometown.

Before May 14th, no one really could define the characteristics that made these 270 students stand out among other classes. For years, Senior Walks have been a beloved tradition for Celina High School graduating seniors. The seniors don their caps and gowns and walk the halls of each of the elementary schools as the youngest students cheer them towards their future.

The buses full of seniors made their final stop at Lykins Elementary School. It was a special place for this group, as their earliest Bobcat memories were made there when it was still Celina Elementary School, a kindergarten through second grade campus. After all, back then, it was Celina’s only elementary school.

On that sunny day in late May, they walked past the hall where some had memories from kindergarten. They hugged Mrs. Edwards and high-fived Mr. Pasqua and Mrs. Pasqua. They exchanged handshakes with Mr. Rickey. They walked tenderly by the room where Mrs. Lykins taught and were reminded how much they missed her.

And, of course, Mrs. Martin, who served as their principal, came over from the administration building to cheer them on as happy tears streamed down her cheeks. So many memories and so much emotion. As they walked out of the doors of the school that now bears Mrs. Lykins’ name, they were asked to take a group picture with the students who started there in kindergarten and had been Bobcats ever since.

That is when, for the first time, who this class was and how they acted together made some sense. One after another after another lined up. The students kept coming. The group for the picture kept growing. By the time the seniors had gotten set for their elementary school class photo, nearly a hundred stood around their former principal with smiles filled with pride and memories.

When over a third of a class of graduating seniors shares this incomparable bond, it will impact and change the others. Make no mistake, those other students who came along later in elementary years, through junior high, or into high school vastly contributed to the character of the Celina High School Class of 2024.

They added value and raised the bar even higher. They poured into this group lessons and experiences that shaped and molded them beyond what the class could have ever been. Their not being here since kindergarten made them no different than their classmates who had. But for the ones who had, they proudly carried the torch of living and learning for a lifetime in their hometown.

After the seniors headed back to the high school, a proud Starla Martin, once their principal and now the Director of Student Services for the Celina ISD, penned a passionate post on Facebook and shared the large group photo. Perhaps some of the words she wrote about her love for this group will give readers a glimpse into growing up in Celina (as seen on the page to the right).

Every senior in the Celina High School Class of 2024 impacted the character of this group of young men and women. Each student built the legacy left behind on their way towards greatness.

In a hometown that loves and celebrates its students, wildly cheers on its teams, parades around the Square at homecoming, and longs to hold true to the heritage of Celina, this class was as rooted as any future class may be as the community grows. These kids were in the stands when Kenny Chesney filmed his Boys of Fall video here.

They watched Coach Ford pass the torch to Coach Elliott. They saw the new high school built on the Alla Hubbard hill. They turned off the lights at the old Bobcat Field and turned them on at the new stadium. Their band and cheerleaders won two state championships. Their girls’ soccer team won three.

Through highs and lows, they stuck together. Their memories will never fade. And neither will the legacy of this class—a class that was deeply rooted in the history and heritage of Celina, and a third of them never knew any other place as home.

“I vividly remember your kindergarten year, which also happened to be my inaugural year as principal. Together, we embarked on a journey of discovery, learning, and friendship.

Seeing you today in your cap and gown walking the halls of where it all started brought me to tears. You (and your family) will always hold a very special place in my heart. Your parents provided me with such grace as I was navigating my new role, but more importantly than that, they opened their hearts and allowed me to become a forever part of your life and you in mine.

As you stand on the threshold of a bright and promising future, know that you carry a piece of my heart wherever you go, and I pray your journey will be filled with fulfillment and endless happiness! I am so incredibly proud of YOU!”

So much love, Mrs. Martin, Former Principal and current Director of Student Services for Celina ISD