By Staff
LAMAR GRADUATION Senior class sponsor Phyllis Skipper helps Lamar High School senior April Rodgers before graduation Friday night at the school gymnasium. PHOTO BY CARISA MCCAIN / THE MERIDIAN STAR
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
May 18, 2002
Rain moved Lamar High School's graduation ceremonies from the school's ball field to it's gymnasium Friday night.
But it didn't bother members of the senior class.
Pat Phillippi, another senior, said he was excited, too. "And anxious."
He was eager to go on the senior outing a parent committee had scheduled after graduation. The trip has become a tradition for Lamar graduates and the destination is kept secret from the seniors.
A total of 27 graduates received diplomas.
Jessica Lindsey, valedictorian of the class, and Carrie Jones, salutatorian, both spoke during the ceremony.
They thanked their teachers and parents for preparing them for life, and they each reflected on their years growing up with their classmates.
She advised fellow graduates to keep their faith strong.
Lindsey said the members of the 2002 graduating class have developed a bond that can never be broken.
The speaker for commencement was Bill Crawford, president of the state College Board and the Montgomery Institute.
Crawford spoke about patriotism and American heritage.
He said George Washington had four good character traits: He had strong faith; exhibited positive, strong patriotism; developed personal relationships; and "stayed the course."
Crawford said those traits can also be found in people like former U.S. Rep. G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery and the late U.S. Sen. John Stennis.