Perryville High School presents 190 diplomas during graduation ceremony

More specifically, Lawson focused for a while on the unusual circumstances that he and his classmates overcame during most of their time at that high school.

“For almost two years, we went to school online in our bedrooms or at our kitchen tables. And even after we came back, it wasn’t quite normal. People wore masks. There was even plexiglas at every lunch table. I didn’t even know what half of you looked like until you went to take a bite out of your chicken sandwiches. Our senior year was our first fully ‘normal’ year. COVID happened but we made it through,” Lawson summarized.

Moments later, Lawson touched upon perseverance.

“We have come a long way since our first day of high school. We walked into this institution as nervous freshman in September 2019, unsure of what our future held. But today, we walk out as confident young adults, ready to take on whatever challenges come our way,” Lawson said.

After thanking the teachers for the positive impact they have had on him and his classmates, Lawson looked toward to the future as he ended his speech.

“Hold on to the good memories and let go of the bad. Always push forward — because you are worth it . . . Embrace the journey that lies ahead and with everything that you do, do it with love. This world needs more love.” Lawson said.

Lawson was among the 190 Perryville High School seniors who received their diplomas at the end of Friday night’s graduation ceremony, which featured several other speakers, including Perryville High School Principal Kimberly Williams and Cecil County School Board member Renee Dixon.

Kathryn Noel Weese, the school’s Class of 2023 valedictorian with a 5.122 weighted grade point average, assured classmates during her speech that their time at Perryville High School equipped them with valuable tools that will help them navigate their way through life. Weese passed on insight that her father, a Perryville High School teacher, had given to her.

“Mr. Weese said that in school, you learn how to learn. I’m sure we all have had those moments in class where we questioned the purpose of the work we were given, knowing we would probably never use it again. The truth is that we were learning more than just how to calculate the area of a triangle or balance chemical equations, but we learned to overcome challenges, solve problems, be disciplined and see things in new ways. There is so much value in the time we spent here, whether we were able to see it in the moment or not,” the valedictorian explained from the podium.

She ended her speech by telling her fellow graduating seniors, “May you always remember that you have value beyond anything you could accomplish or earn. Wherever you go after graduation, remember that it’s not about how much you know or what you do, but it’s about who you become in the process.”

Emily Francine Baker, the school’s Class of 2023 salutatorian with a 5.083 weighted grade point average, talked about impacting others in a positive way during her address. Baker recalled an interaction she had with an elderly patient on an ambulance in November, when she was volunteering as an EMT student with Charlestown Volunteer Fire Company.

The elderly woman thanked Baker for all she did in the community.

“In response to this comment, I told her, ‘I am just a student. I am only learning. I don’t really do much.’ What she said next to me will remain with me throughout the rest of my academic and occupational career. She had told me, ‘You do not realize you have done so much for me and you have only been here for 10 minutes’,” Baker said.

Moments later, Baker ended her speech by encouraging her fellow graduating seniors to do this: “Never overlook the impact you have on those around you and be cautious of taking for granted the education you have and will receive.”