Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Seven recognized for their successes inside and outside of the classroom.
Reagan Glover addreses the audience during Clovis Christian Schools' graduation ceremony on Saturday at Living Stones Church. Glover was one of six graduates recognized at the event.
CLOVIS - Seven seniors graduated from Clovis Christian Schools on Saturday at Living Stones Church. They were praised for more than just academic success.
"This graduating class has been high-achieving, but also all-around skilled," said Superintendent Ladona Clayton. "They haven't just focused on an academic goal, they focused on athletics, they built their spiritual lives. ... They never lost focus of continuing to grow spiritually and be sure their academics stayed strong. There's not a student in that bunch that did not have a good solid GPA."
Reflecting back on their time at CCS, many of the graduates also looked beyond the classroom to the athletic field for their favorite memories at the school.
For Jenna and Patricia Steele, it was archery, for Keith Dunton and Josh Fly, it was football, and for Reagan Glover, it was track.
"It's a real family environment," Glover said of the track team, a sentiment Fly echoed as well.
Dunton said that family-like atmosphere extended into the classroom too.
"It's nice because the teachers single you out and can help you with your work. There's not 30 kids in your class," Dunton said about why he liked CCS.
Of course, faith was an important component for the students' journey through the Christian school as well. Savannah Manning said the most valuable thing she learned during her time at CCS was "how to take the next step with God and having him guide you through life, because that's important."
Miko Birdsong also graduated, though she did not participate in Saturday's ceremony.
Commencement speaker Magistrate Judge Richard Hollis told the graduates to be proud of the achievements that brought them to Saturday's ceremony, but that hard work must now begin anew for their next step in life.
"I wish somebody had told me when I was your age that success is not a destination," Hollis said. "This diploma, it's important today, but it's only important if it can be used as a ticket. It would be just as well if it had the word ticket across the top of it, to be used as a ticket to get to the next stage."
Fly said he's ready for that next stage.
"It's kind of like the tipping point I guess," Fly said. "This is all I've been working for my whole life basically; it's just time to move on and get my life together."
