Graduates of Aiken County Public School District’s (ACPSD) Class of 2020 will always be remembered for the character and determination they displayed in the face of unprecedented adversity and a myriad of challenges related to the historic Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite many hardships created by the pandemic, on Thursday, June 4, 2020, and Friday, June 5, 2020, the District joined together with families across Aiken County in celebrating the achievements of one thousand four hundred and fifty-seven (1,457) seniors as they graduated on the football fields of their respective campuses and alongside their classmates.
“There is a poem which reads in part, ‘we did not ask for this room or this music. We were invited in … but because we are here, let us dance’. Your senior year did not take place in the room you had envisioned. The soundtrack was not the playlist you would have created. Still, you danced,” stated Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence in his address to students.
“Your lives will be filled with countless victories, but you will also know disappointment,” he added. “When that happens, if you approach your challenges with the same courage, dignity, and grace with which you have conquered this one, the future is bright not only for all of you but for those of us whose shoes you will one day fill. Wherever the room, whatever the music, dance.”
Aiken County Board of Education Chairman Keith Liner reminded Class of 2020 graduates that even though they would wear many different hats in life, there is one they will always share.
“Tomorrow morning you start the next chapter of your life and your life’s journey may lead you to wear many different hats,” commented Liner. “Whether you are a Mustang, Thoroughbred, Trojan, War Eagle, Hornet, Bulldog, or Yellow Jacket, one you will always wear is that of an Aiken County Public School District high school alumnus. We wish you congratulations, good luck, and Godspeed.”
As a testament to their hard work in and outside of the classroom, Aiken County graduates of the Class of 2020 earned a total of $56,093,363 in scholarship dollars during the 2019-20 school year.
The District also recognized 45 percent of this year's 1,457 graduates, or 655 students, as ACPSD Honor Graduates.
Following are Class of 2020 graduation highlights for each of our seven ACPSD high schools.
Aiken High School celebrated a Class of 2020 that numbered 320 graduates, a total of 137, or 43-percent of graduates, were recognized as Honor Graduates. The Hornets earned a combined total of $13,000,287 in academic awards and qualifying scholarship offers. Aiken High’s Valedictorian was Rebekah Kendal Moss, and Hannah Nicole Wheeland was the Salutatorian. Aiken High has 14 students are entering the military, the highest number of any school in the District. One hundred forty-seven graduates plan to attend a 4-year college, and 87 say they plan to attend 2-year colleges, meaning 73-percent of the Class of 2020 plan to attend a post-secondary institution. Eighteen graduates were honored as Senior Scholars, and eight earned a S.C. Seal of Biliteracy. Eighty-three Aiken High graduates plan to immediately enter the workforce following graduation.
Midland Valley High School’s 40th Commencement Exercises honored 258 graduates of the Class of 2020 who earned $15,138,080 in qualifying scholarship offers. This was the highest total in the District for the 2019-20 school year. The school also recognized 16 Early College graduates who each earned either an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree, or both, from Aiken Technical College in May. Among its graduates, 117 Mustangs, or 46-percent of the Class of 2020 were celebrated as Honor Graduates. The school recognized Parker Alexander Welsh as its Valedictorian, and Mary Denise Swygert as its Salutatorian. Eighty-eight percent of the Class of 2020, or two hundred and twenty-seven graduates which is the highest percentage of graduates in the District, plan to attend a college or university, and 11 said they planned to join the United States military following graduation.
North Augusta High School’s graduating Class of 2020 consisted of 334 graduates, making it the largest graduating class in the District. One hundred eighty-nine, or 57-percent, of North Augusta’s graduates were celebrated as Honor Graduates. The Jackets' Valedictorian was Brayden Jacob Poorvin, and Barret Lee Smoker was the Salutatorian. Two hundred sixty of North Augusta's graduates, or 78-percent of the Class of 2020, say they plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university following graduation, and seven graduates say they plan to serve in the military. Jacket graduate Eddie Burch accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Thirty-three graduates will enter the workforce, and two graduates completed apprenticeships while in high school. The Jackets received over $11 million dollars in qualifying scholarship offers during the 2019-20 year.
Silver Bluff High School celebrated 138 graduates in its Class of 2020, with 60 graduates, or 44-percent of the senior class, earning special recognition as Honor Graduates. The school recognized Matthew Thomas Ketusky as Valedictorian, and Courtney Nashay Young as Salutatorian. The amount of qualifying scholarship offers awarded to the Bulldogs was close to $4 million dollars. Fifty-four graduates plan to attend two-year colleges, and 62 say they plan to attend four-year colleges and universities, meaning 84-percent of the Class of 2020 plan to attend a post-secondary institution. Three Bulldog graduates plan to serve in the military. They include Dalton Gregory Johnson, Hannah Alyssa Sankey, and Evan Lamar Williams. The school recognized five Senior Scholars. Nineteen Bulldogs say they plan to enter the workforce immediately after high school, and one graduate completed an apprenticeship.
South Aiken High School recognized Kendall June Leigh as its Valedictorian, and Holland Avigail Rasmusson as its Salutatorian. South Aiken's Class of 2020 featured 301 Thoroughbred graduates, 122 of whom were celebrated as Honor Graduates. The class earned over seven million dollars in qualifying scholarship offers. Two hundred fifty-nine graduates, or over 86-percent of the Class of 2020 plan to attend a four-year college or university, or a two-year college. Graduate Coleen Elisabeth Harmon accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Three Thoroughbreds are choosing service in the military, while 32 said they planned to immediately enter the workforce after graduation. A District-high 13 South Aiken graduates completed an apprenticeship during high school. South Aiken honored 20 Senior Scholars, and six Thoroughbreds earned a S.C. Seal of Biliteracy.
Ridge Spring-Monetta High School celebrated 54 seniors as members of the Class of 2020 during the school’s 64th Commencement Exercises, with 12 seniors being recognized as Honor Graduates. The Valedictorian was Morgan Rene’ Berry, and the Salutation was Conner Derek Goss. Total qualifying scholarship offers for the Trojans amounted to $1,648,100. Forty-two graduates, or 78-percent of the Class of 2020, plan to attend a four-year college or university or a two-year college. Two graduates have chosen to serve in the U.S military, while 10 graduates say they plan to immediately enter the workforce.
Wagener-Salley High School’s graduating Class of 2020 featured 52 graduates, among whom were 18 Honor Graduates. The school’s Valedictorian was Jennifer Mallory Sampson and the Salutatorian was Taunija Tanae Swedenburg, and both graduates were recognized as Senior Scholars. Twenty graduates are planning to attend to a four year college, while an additional 24 graduates are planning to attend a 2-year college, meaning 81-percent of the Class of 2020 will attend a post-secondary institution. Three War Eagles have chosen to serve in the United States military. The amount of qualifying scholarship offers earned by the War Eagles during the 2019-20 school year was close to $4 million dollars.
ACPSD Photo by Matthews Smith
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