DANVILLE, Va. – The J.T. Christopher Stadium on the George Washington High School campus hosted in-person graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021 Tuesday. 195 students received their diplomas

During the graduation, GW Principal Jay Lancaster told the class they learned a lesson on “appreciation versus expectation” while finishing their high school careers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You learned that the Class of 2021 would not be stopped by anything,” Lancaster said. “You learned how to pass your classes and how to be successful at anything that was thrown at you all while being appreciative for everything.”

In his speech titled “Smoke and Mirrors,” Salutatorian Nicolas West charged his fellow classmates not to try to find the “finish line” in life, and instead urged them to continue self-improvement.

Valedictorian Hannah Dow addressed the graduating class with her speech titled “Unwritten,” in which she quoted the well-known Natasha Bedingfield song by the same name. With no manual to tell the students how to navigate learning in the middle of a pandemic, Dow praised her classmates for figuring it out and thriving.

“I think it is important that we realize that uncertainty is really just another word for opportunity,” Dow said.

Photo courtesy Danville Public Schools