News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Dr. Christopher Collier, cwcollier@glnd.k12.va.us or Renee Ferrell, rferrell@glnd.k12.va.us
Goochland High School Class of 2022 Celebrated at Graduation
210 Graduates Recognized for this Milestone Achievement
June 5, 2022 – Saturday evening marked the end of high school for 210 Goochland High School seniors and a new beginning for the high achieving Class of 2022.
Despite challenges along the way – including a global pandemic – the graduating seniors accomplished much during their high school years:
- Four students were recognized for their perfect attendance for all four years of high school: Jenessa Lee Coles, Trevor Tyler Lucy, Joshua David Williams, and De’Andre Malik Robinson, who maintained perfect attendance for all 13 years in Goochland County schools.
- Six students became the first graduates of the Academy for Architecture and Construction
- Twenty-one seniors were recognized as Honor Graduates for academic success that placed them in the top 10 percent of their class
- Thirty seniors graduated from Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School
- Fifty-three students earned the associate degree in the division’s Advance College Academy, a partnership with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
- Fifty-nine seniors earned the Early College Scholars Award for earning at least 15 hours of college credit while completing the requirements for an Advanced Studies diploma And 159 students graduated with an Advanced Studies diploma
During the ceremony, several speakers congratulated the class and shared words of wisdom. Lorena Maier, the Class of 2022 salutatorian, said she was “lucky to grow and learn alongside such a united, powerful group of individuals. I’ve never seen such unwavering support and dedication.” She also encouraged her fellow graduates to “never take anything for granted. As our sophomore year showed us, the world can change in an instant.”
Grace Becraft, the valedictorian, asked her classmates to “hold tight to the relationships that keep us grounded. To be in a community with one another is perhaps the greatest gift of all.
“Today, I am feeling undeniably grateful for the relationships that I have built at Goochland High School. I am thankful for the opportunities to have grown and learned from my friendships here as a bulldog. I am thankful for the relationships that I made with my teachers, who guided us all with more grace than we deserved. I am thankful to have lived in a community where parents taught their children to love one another well. I am thankful to have studied next to students who pushed me to consider ideologies that challenged my own. And
most of all, I am thankful for parents who consistently spoke life into me and pushed me to become the woman that I am today,” she said.
School Board Chair Michael Newman noted that the high school experience of the Class of 2022 was “not normal or easy. But you have persevered, and today you have arrived. Your school board is so proud of you and all of your accomplishments.”
Goochland County Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Raley, Ed.D., noted that the graduating seniors will take many different paths after graduation. “After tonight, some of our graduates will enter directly into the workforce, while others will continue their studies at different schools, colleges, and universities. We also have graduates who have chosen to serve our great nation in the United States armed services,” he said.
“Regardless of their path, I firmly believe our graduates are poised and ready to tackle the many challenges they will face during their journey through life. I wish each graduate nothing but the best as you transition to whatever may be next.”
Goochland High School Principal Christopher Collins encouraged graduates to take what they learned at GHS and inspire others to greatness. “Know that your decisions, your words, and your actions matter. You matter, no matter how different we are from one another! So, choose to be yourself while valuing and respecting the individuality of others. I know that each and every one of you is ready to make a difference in the world!”
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