College Signing Day

In 2015, Michelle Obama declared May 1st to be National College Signing Day to celebrate students who plan to pursue higher education. This event has become one of our senior’s most favorite events. Due to Covid restrictions, faculty members had the privilege to represent our senior’s commitment to their colleges.

Ella Thornberry ‘21 signed with Centre College for Track and Cross Country for next year at our Athletic Signing.

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Fast forward to December - the second lockdown. Personally, this was the most difficult part of the year for me and it might have been for you too. It was strange to go from all in-person classes to all online within a matter of days. In hindsight, spending that time away from everyone helped me appreciate the time I did have. I thought about my friends from other schools who had been online all year and was grateful for the opportunities we had to be in person.

When we went back to school in January I and probably many of you had a new sense of YOLO; by that I mean we valued our time together and as high school students more. With our return to in-person learning in January, archery and basketball started up again. We had our winter senior night and our last home game, and although spectators were limited, many of you showed up to support the teams, and our nights at LaRosas playing the name game are memories I will always cherish.

The start of the Second semester also brought us the peak of the chaotic lounge decorations which we nicknamed “frat house cluster core” and included decorations for every major holiday brought to you by Dollar Tree and my mom, a poster of Liam Hemsworth, a map autographed by Mr. Lane, and many half-drank iced coffees. At this point, the lounge was a visual manifestation of Senioritis which was hitting us all hard. We were all caught up in the stress of school and college decisions coming in so we started writing our acceptances on the whiteboard in the lounge. We supported each other through the process, getting together to open decision letters and constantly congratulating one another.

In March, spring sports began. For some of us, this meant track, and the more we ran out of time. We only had three months left and the countdown to graduation earned a spot on the whiteboard. Everything from then on went so quickly. We had Spring break, then the end of the year picnic, then NHS induction, then senior signing day, then prom, and then the last full week of classes. Then exams and Senior Luncheon then Mass and now we are here. Not yet graduated but so close. In a few short hours, it will all be over, we will no longer be Seniors, we will be alums.

Now this time is bittersweet. Bitter because we must say farewell to our friends, teachers, mentors, and school, but sweet because our hard work has paid off and we have the chance to go our own way taking what we’ve learned here at CLS into our futures. To the faculty and parents, know that your efforts have produced a small but mighty group of 18 accomplished individuals. You should be proud of what they have achieved and the people that they have grown into, and know that we appreciate your support and guidance in this time and through our whole lives. Without you, the outstanding class of 2021 which I stand before would not exist. On that note, to my classmates, I want to thank you for all our time together; from collective cram studying and stressing over college applications, to playing spike ball and just being silly, I value every second we had together through the years and I appreciate our ability to make the most of every moment.

Now, as we look to the future, I urge you to not forget your past. After today each of us will always be a Covington Latin School graduate and we will always hold with us what we have learned here. Our parents and teachers have given us knowledge, but it is our responsibility to use that for good. I am amazed at the array of passions of this class, and I know that wherever life takes you you will have the tools to share that passion and create change. So class of 2021 I salute us, our accomplishments, and our future endeavors, and I will leave you with this: as the great philosopher and rapper Wiz Khalifa once sang “So let the light guide your way, yeah / Hold every memory as you go / And every road you take / Will always lead you home.” Thank you!