Friday nights under the stadium lights were a familiar tradition to the Class of 2026 the Social Circle Redskin Stadium. But, Friday, May 22, looked a little different for these seniors as they turned their tassels, walked the stage and away from those stands for the very last time as students. 

This year’s graduating class left behind years of memories at Social Circle High School (SCHS) and headed into a future full of possibilities. 

The ceremony opened with a sea of red as excited graduates took their seats and were welcomed by a heartfelt and encouraging invocation by 2026 graduate, Danny Craft. 

“Remind us that success is not only done in achievements but also in kindness, resilience and the way we serve others,” Craft said. 

Following Craft’s prayer was fellow graduate Annaliese Mikel with a warm welcome speech to introduce the class to the crowd and welcome friends and family to celebrate their achievements.  

“Over the years, we have grown in ways that go far beyond academics,” Mikel said. “We’ve discovered our strengths, faced our weaknesses and learned more about who we are and who we want to become. We have built friendships, learned the value of teamwork and found our voices; we didn’t just gain knowledge, we found confidence, resilience and perspective.” 

Succeeding Mikel was Salutatorian Gabriela Alfaro. She began with a grateful heart for all the people who helped and supported her to get where she is today.

Alfaro reminisced about her time growing up in Social Circle schools, from memories on the playground and class field days to high school teachers who made a lasting impact and final senior moments that will stay with her forever. 

“I will now hold this final moment of our graduation as the last time we will all be together, at the same time, as a cherished memory,” Alfaro said. “This moment is the formation of all of those moments from pre-K til now that have shaped us to be ready to move on to our next chapters. Thank you, Class of 2026, for those memories.” 

The final graduate to the podium was Valedictorian Audrey Hicks, with a mesmerizing speech about future opportunities and the realization that this may be the conclusion of a chapter but the beginning of more stories to come. 

With the knowledge and achievements they now have, Hicks reminded her peers that they are still like a blank sheet of paper, ready for their next chapter to be written with more knowledge to be acquired and new memories to be inscribed. 

“We have the opportunity to go and be the best we have ever been, but we also need to remember where we came from, how we got here to this time, at this moment; it was not without support, love and dedication,” Hicks said. “Although all of us have different paths to this moment, that doesn’t make our journey any less significant; instead, it pushes us all to keep moving forward.” 

Hicks then welcomed on stage principal Tim Armstrong for some final words on this class's achievements. 

Armstrong revealed that this year’s class has gained over $90,000 in scholarship money. Each student will either be entering the workforce, continuing to higher education or answering the call to service. 

After some concluding words of pride and encouragement by Armstrong, each graduate took the stage to receive their diplomas and walk into a new season of life not as high school students but as adults ready to conquer the world. 

In a common theme of hard work and resilience, each speaker took their time to remind the Class of 2026 that they have each achieved something outstanding academically. However, they all took time also to help them remember what truly built them and who was there to help carry the pieces that became too heavy to lift on their own.

In his final words of congratulations to the class of 2026, Armstrong offered some outstanding advice and thoughts to SCHS' newest alumni. 

“I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts: first, be kind and compassionate to those around you,” Armstrong said. “It’s nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. The second thing is to be responsible for your own actions, earn your success rather than blaming others, and the last one, further yourself by improving. How can you do a little better every day to be the best version of yourself?”