Hancock County graduates look back on memories made

Christie Netherton, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

May 27—Hancock County High School graduated 99 seniors Wednesday night as staff and students looked back on memories made and a year interrupted by COVID-19.

While students underwent significant challenges throughout the past school year due to the pandemic, HCHS Principal Ginger Estes said that they were able to rise above it and persevere.

"Four years ago, you came into this high school with wide-eyed ambitions and dreams of exciting school memories. I can honestly say that none of us would've predicted four years ago that you would be asked to overcome a pandemic, and you did," she said. "Not only did you overcome a pandemic, you rose above it and found ways to better yourself. You learned how to be virtual, then in person, then virtual, then in person again. ...You have the skills and the drive to do great things in this world."

HCHS teacher and commencement speaker Abby Riney said lessons were learned beyond the classroom and one of them was to cherish the present moment.

"I don't think any of us expected the last year to go the way it did. ...If this pandemic has taught me anything, it's the value of time," she said. "As this year has shown us, we can never really know what tomorrow will bring. All we can do is make the most of each and every day."

Senior graduate and student speaker Katie Blan said her high school experience was made through memories with her peers.

While those memories might be a far cry different than any previous graduating class due to the pandemic, she still believes she and her fellow classmates have bright futures ahead of them.

"When I think of high school, I think of all the memories I have made," she said "It's pep rallies where we all came together ... it's taking the ACT and staying up until midnight to check your score; it's virtual learning and wearing a mask, and it's storming the field after beating Catholic for the first time in a decade."

Blan credited teachers and staff for getting herself and classmates through the last year of ups and downs.

"We have come a long way since freshman year and I do not doubt each and every one of us will do great things," she said.

Christie Netherton, cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7360