Owen High School holds graduation ceremony

Class of 2021 takes the stage in Warhorse Stadium

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 5, 2021

Maroon caps and gowns filled Warhorse Stadium, June 5, as Owen High School held its first in-person graduation ceremony since the summer of 2019.

The 155 seniors in the class of 2021 completed a final school year unlike any before.

Graduates descended the stairs at 9 a.m., walking through family, friends and supporters, as they took their seats in front of the stage. The Owen JROTC Color Guard presented the colors, with Cadet Captain Robert Bannock leading the pledge of allegiance.

Gabriel Coll-Bettencourt performed the national anthem, which was followed by the singing of the Owen Alma Mater.

The student speaker for the ceremony was senior Yesenia Morales-Alday. Senior officers Andrew Knight and Anna Sobol introduced the commencement’s keynote speaker, Mavis Gragg, who graduated from the school in 1994. The Durham-based attorney is the director of the Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention Project through the American Forest Foundation.

Before closing the ceremony and declaring the graduation of the class of 2021, principal Meg Turner commended the students for their perseverance through a difficult school year. Graduates were encouraged to close their eyes and take in their final moments of high school.

“Just as your time at this school must come to an end, so must this ceremony,” Turner said. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

The graduates stood in unison and tossed their caps into the air, closing the final chapter of their academic careers at Owen High School.

A photo gallery of the 2021 Owen High School graduation ceremony can be found below.