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Hello, I’m Ken Nicely, superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools. I want to welcome you to this online graduation for Hidden Valley High School. We all wish we were celebrating your success in person, however nothing can take away from the tremendous pride we feel for each and every one of you.
Think of this online edition as part one for graduation.
Later this summer or fall, we hope we can recognize our graduates in-person. Until then, we are going to do the next best thing so that our seniors officially graduate on time. I want to extend my sincere congratulations to each and every one of our graduates.
The class of 2020 has become the most resilient class ever in Roanoke County Public Schools and I’m incredibly proud of how all our students have weathered this current pandemic.
I look forward to the day when we will celebrate your success in person.
And now, it’s my pleasure to introduce the Hidden Valley High School Class of 2020.
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Hello and welcome to the seventeenth commencement ceremony of Hidden Valley High School. I am Andrew Smith, the Senior Class President, and it is my pleasure to welcome everyone to the Class of 2020 virtual commencement ceremony this afternoon. While this is certainly, not how any of us envisioned our commencement ceremony for this year, we are happy to be able to digitally come together and celebrate the Class of 2020 with our friends and family members around the world.
Before we begin our ceremony, I would like to give a special recognition to my fellow classmates that will be going on to bravely serve our country in the armed forces. Emily Robinson and Wesley Underwood should be commended for their selfless commitment to the military and our country. Thank you, in advance, for your service.
I would also like to take a moment to recognize those faculty members who, after many years of service to public education, will be retiring this year. On behalf of the Class of 2020, we would like to thank Mrs. Sherry Richardson and Mr. Gustavo Ruiz for their service to public education.
Mr. Gustavo Ruiz has been teaching many levels of Spanish at Hidden Valley for nearly a decade. His passion and commitment to broadening the cultural experience of the Titans has been immeasurable.
Mrs. Sherry Richardson has devoted her life’s work to Roanoke County Schools, having given 40 years of service to the school system. She was a founding teacher that opened Hidden Valley High School in 2002 and has spent the past 18 years teaching English to our Titans.
To both Mr. Ruiz and Mrs. Richardson, we wish you well on your next adventure in life. You will be sorely missed in the halls of HV.
At this time, I would also like to extend a thank you to all of the other faculty members, administrators, and support staff of Hidden Valley High School. Without all of you, the Class of 2020 would not have made it to this point. Thank you for all you have done for us.
At this time, it is my honor to welcome our principal, Ms. Lori Wimbush to the commencement ceremony.
Thank you, Andrew. Welcome to the Class of 2020 graduates, their families and friends. As the principal of Hidden Valley High School, it is my distinct joy and privilege to honor the Class of 2020 and to celebrate their successes. These students have traveled a long journey over the past thirteen years of their education. I commend our graduates for their perseverance and determination to complete this journey, but also for their courage and commitment to the next journey in their lives; may it be a wonderful adventure that you embark upon after closing this chapter of your lives.
On a personal note, I want to tell the Class of 2020 graduates, you are a special class to me. We entered high school together, me as a first year high school principal and you as first year high school students. We shared the same fears and excitements and I will forever remember how we started this adventure and how we have now ended it. Thank you for an amazing four years together.
At this time, I would like to welcome our Class of 2020 keynote speakers, Catherine Sublett and Jackson Moyer, to give the Class of 2020 Commencement Address.
13 years
4656 days
111,744 hours
6,704,640 minutes
402 million….
I’ll stop you right there. That’s how long Jackson Moyer and I have been friends.
Many of you are in the same boat. You’ve known each other since kindergarten. You’ve grown up together.
We’ve all laughed, cried, lived, and learned together for the past 13 years.
And over those 13 years, we’ve undoubtedly learned more than just how to count apples or evaluate an indefinite integral
Today, we’d like to reflect on some of our most memorable lessons through the years.
In elementary school, it didn’t matter if your neon green athletic shorts, orange t shirt, and light up sketchers didn’t really go together.
Believe it or not, this is how you wanted to look.
And that was just fine. You felt confident and proud to have picked out your own outfit. Take that mom!
Elementary school taught us that the people who matter most like you just the way you are. And those people are most likely still your friends today.
We learned to be ourselves: everyone else was already taken. Brought to you by that poster in the cafeteria of every elementary school ever.
At this point in our lives, that may be easy to forget, but we encourage you to think back to how excited you were about your first day of school outfit in third grade, or the first time you got off at your friend’s bus stop for a “play date.”
That’s who you are. Hold on to that.
Next- Middle school. A little bit awkward and a whole lot of changes.
Facing those changes was a major challenge. I can remember the night before starting sixth grade when all I could think about was “where are my classes?” and “how in the world am I supposed to open my locker?”
But soon, we settled right into it. Hey... remember when they convinced us to sell magazines in order to collect all the rubber duck keychains?
Yeah...looking back, we didn’t really understand how worthless fundraiser prizes were. We may have started out nervous for all the uncertainties and changes, but we figured everything out pretty quickly and then our only concern was getting our family to buy some magazines.
Despite the fears we had when we started, we survived! As daunting as it was, we learned how to confront the new things that life threw at us.
And we knew that when the future arrived, we would be able to handle whatever else comes our way.
Moving on to high school. Catherine, what did you learn in high school?
The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!
That’s all?
Yep, that’s it...Actually, high school has taught us a lot beyond the classroom.
I agree. For example, how do you make a decision?
Panic for eight hours, then flip a coin. That’s how I do it.
No -
Okay, I guess we have learned how to logically think through the choices that lie ahead of us.
Right. We all had to decide what classes to take, what clubs to join, what sport to play, or what to do after high school. Whether it be joining the Armed Forces, heading into the work force, or going off to college- Go hokies!
He meant to say Go Hoos.
*shakes head* But seriously, the decisions we’ve already made will show us how to get through life’s tough choices in the future.
Speaking of the future, it’s closer than you think. It feels like just yesterday we were walking into school as freshmen.
And now, we’re sitting in our living room graduating!
I wish we had known how quickly it would all pass by.
That way, we could have appreciated every little thing while it lasted. Every minute spent walking the halls with your friends for a “mental break”, every football game spent cheering in the stands or playing on the field, and every Titan 21 night trying to explain your project to your friends’ parents.
Now that all of those things are over, it just brings us to another very important life lesson: time is precious.
When we forget this, we neglect to take advantage of every opportunity that we have.
We often take for granted seeing our friends, going to class, and filling our schedules with the functions of everyday life until it stops. Like right now.
Right now, nothing is what we expected it would be. I mean, instead of giving this speech to a sea of soon-to-be graduates in blue caps and gowns, I’m talking to a camera.
And we’re missing out on more than just graduation. We had plans to play a spring sport, or dance at prom,
or take some pics for instagram on senior day, or celebrate baccalaureate
We were looking forward to playing our last band concert
and experiencing all the other “lasts” of our time in school.
Instead, I ended up spending time with... these people that live with me?? They’re actually not too bad. We’ve had a lot of fun over the past few weeks.
I definitely found some new Netflix shows to watch. Before this pandemic, I didn’t know that a random zoo in Oklahoma could be so entertaining....
Life slowed down and we finally have time to destress and catch up on sleep
We are learning how much we really should appreciate all the “normal” things in life that we took for granted.
One good thing that comes out of a global pandemic is a sense of togetherness that we’ve never experienced in our lifetime.
Even though we’re separated, we’re doing everything we can to keep in touch and stay as connected as possible.
Socially distant pic nics! Group facetime calls!
Drive by birthday celebrations! Senior recognition billboards!
This really has been an amazing opportunity to see how much good lies in our community
Everyone from doctors and nurses caring for the sick, to workers at grocery stores and gas stations who ensure everyone can get what they need
and the volunteers who deliver food to elderly neighbors who don’t feel safe venturing out in public.
Almost everyone is playing their part in helping others during this unprecedented time of uncertainty and need - and that’s beautiful.
Our teachers have worked so hard to find creative ways to continue helping us learn and end the school year
Our community has truly used its creativity to solve as many of these problems as possible. And these are simply friends helping other friends. In an unprecedented situation like this, we rely on the friendships we’ve made - from neon shirts to rubber ducks
To library study sessions and post doctor appointment Starbucks deliveries to classmates.
Don’t give up on the people you’ve bonded with over the past thirteen years. Be there for them... they’ll be there for you too.
As we move forward, we need to remember how we handled this moment in history. Life will throw a lot at you. Choose to make the most of it. Look to the friends you made along the way- we're all here to support each other.
Looking back on our years together, it’s hard to believe how much we’ve learned and how much we’ve grown.
I’m so thankful for the memories I’ve made over the past thirteen years, or 4656 days, or 111,744...
Ok – we get it. Congratulations class of 2020. You’ve persisted through this and many other challenges. You learned to be yourself.
You learned how to face new challenges.
You learned how to make a decision. And you did it all with the support of the wonderful people you’re blessed to have in your life.
As you leave high school and create a future for yourselves, don’t forget all the lessons you’ve learned over the past 13 years- especially the ones you’re learning right now.
Thank you Catherine and Jackson. I would now like to welcome our faculty guest speaker who has given 20 years of service to the field of public education and has been a key member of the faculty at Hidden Valley since 2003. It is my great honor to welcome Mrs. Deborah Sprenger to the commencement ceremony at this time.
Dear Class of 2020,
Congratulations! You have achieved such an important milestone in your lives and given us all great cause for celebration! You are graduating from high school and preparing to move on to face your future. I cannot begin to tell you how proud your teachers, families, and community are of you at this moment. I hope you are every bit as proud of yourselves, because you deserve to be!
In this address, I will try to highlight the reasons why I have such abiding faith in all of you and the positive impact I foresee you having on our world. The final days of your journey through high school were not what you expected. All the special senior year events that you had eagerly anticipated fell by the wayside in favor of hanging out at home. From what I am hearing, however, rather than finding this overwhelming, many of you are seizing opportunities and using the time to reflect on what is important in life.
One inescapable take-away would be the understanding that life can change in the blink of an eye. When earth-shaking changes happens, we older people, if we are wise, look to your emerging generation to fashion new solutions. As my deeply valued friend and colleague Brian Harris wrote to me just last week, “It is the youngest who develop our grandest social media platforms, change the way we get our food, drive our cars, and share time with friends and family.”
Members of your class are already finding different ways to accomplish any goal, proving you are open-minded, flexible, and determined. Another dear friend, Shelley Winterer shared that within days of the shut down our band section leaders had organized virtual section dinners while two Hidden Valley seniors started a quarantine podcast, daily interviewing classmates and putting out a broadcast. So, you guys don’t just know how to innovate, but also how to build community. You will need these skills.
The uncertainties of these last few weeks have dashed our efforts to hide behind magical thinking. You are already showing that you are wiser for this dose of reality, and ready to move forward. Both Mrs. Winterer and a third treasured friend and colleague, Neha Karandakar, shared news of Hidden Valley seniors serving others, telling about your classmates who are organizing meals to be delivered to the elderly and volunteering at the food bank. I know that some of you are among our essential workers, helping all of us get through our daily lives. Your bravery, resilience, and caring spirit is truly inspiring.
There is so much to celebrate. As my beloved fellow Hidden Valley High School teacher, Carmen Oakes observed, this pause in our lives has given us the chance to reconnect with nature. She tells me that students have told her that they feel more in touch with our beautiful world. As she says, That’s Nice! And finally, considering the incredible efforts that your senior class sponsor, Laura Weaver has made working with our wonderful principals, counselors, and office staff, and especially your parents to give you a send-off that, while not traditional is still memorable, you most definitely must know that you are loved. Because, honestly, you are so darn lovable. So here’s to you class of 2020. The future is there for you to claim. It belongs to you. You have the wisdom, the skill, and the motivation to seize this moment and make our world better because you are here.
Thank you Mrs. Sprenger. It is now my honor to recognize the Class of 2020 valedictorians. All Roanoke County students who achieve a grade point average in excess of 4.0 are declared valedictorians.
(READING OF NAMES)
Ayushi Agarwal
David Luke Arner
Amber Cecilia Assaid
Caleb Matthew Atkins
Kenneth William Baxley
Thomas James Beckett
Coleman Isaac Blanton
Sarah Grace Blanton
Julia Louise Brown
Harrison Thanh Bui
Dylan Cameron Carter
Mariam Nisar Chaudry
Erin Grace Conner
Keller Thomas Coolbaugh
Faith Lorraine Culver
Jeddie Kate Dawson
Samuel Evans Delaney
Camryn Leighann Dermott
Matthew Ryan Duncan
Ethan Augustus Frye
Gianna Dorothia Gianni
Laura Alejandra Gomez
Whitney Nicole Goodwin
Kacie Lynn Hanson
Kellie Elizabeth Hanson
Noah John Harding
Colby Douglas Harrison
Marcus Daniel Henderson
Chloe Dakota Johnston
Kayla Renee Jones
Alison Marie Kurpe
Jagger Charles LaDouceur
Michael Chen Lin
Gillian Ryan Lionberger
Teresa Joan Loughery
Andrew Nicholas Lucktong
Oriana Katherine Lukas
Hannah Liliana Luviano
Andrea Laine Maiolo
Julia Marian Maslich
Fiona Claire Miller
Hannah Alyse Mixon
Salonee Pari Moona
Jackson Edward Moyer
Claire Elizabeth Nichols
Chloe Suyuan Oliver
Bailey Shae Parker
Kathryn Elizabeth Parks
Neal Rakesh Patel
Brooke Michelle Pettipiece
Laura Elizabeth Phillips
Megan Ashley Phillips
Pratik Pugazhenthi
Gavin Christopher Pyle
Chloe Elizabeth Rogers
Joanne Naomi Sakamoto
Erik Anthony Scarlatescu
Bailey Matthew St. Clair
Samuel Robert Strong
Emily Gray Sturgeon
Catherine Page Sublett
Brian George Sunil
Morgan Haley Thomas
Lillie Clara Tung
Stephanie Unur
Brandon Charles VanAllman
Rachel Lynn Virostek
Kaden Duane Whitenack
Yifei Zhao
Hello, I am Cole Shepherd, assistant principal at Hidden Valley. It is my honor to recognize the graduates of the Class of 2020 at this time.
(READING OF NAMES)
Huthyfa Mohammed Abuzaid
Merima Adanalic
Ahmed Taha Adnan
Ephraimina Adu-Newman
Ayushi Agarwal
Hannah Noelle Agnes
Lubna Ahmed Albakari
Calvin Scott Anthony
David Luke Arner
Amber Cecilia Assaid
Abigail Doris Atkins
Caleb Matthew Atkins
Satchel Giles Avila Goodman
Ethan Thomas Bane
Anna Leigh Bashore
Kenneth William Baxley
Ermuun Bayarmunkh
Kyla Noel Beamon
Michael David Beckett
Thomas James Beckett
Stephen William Bell
Armin Berkovic
Coleman Isaac Blanton
Sarah Grace Blanton
Sophia Rose Bone
Catherine Brianna Bourne
Elizabeth Rae Brown
Julia Louise Brown
Harrison Thanh Bui
Caleb Jack Burgess
Keara Paige Burgoyne
Dustin Kenneth Bushnell
Logan Michael Cabay
Xavier Reshaun Callaway
Tyler Lewis Cameron
Grayson Scott Carroll
Dylan Cameron Carter
Amanda Crystal Cerdena
Brittney Anne Cerebe
Lily Anne Cerle
Mikayla Anne Chadwick
Mariam Nisar Chaudry
James Joseph Christiano III
Marqui Dinal Claytor
Sophia Anne Clemmer
Kaylee Ann Coffer
Evan Max Coleman
Hunter Jackson Collin
Jonathan Robert Collins
Erin Grace Conner
Alaina Rose Cook
Daniel Lee Cook
Keller Thomas Coolbaugh
Besart Ajvazi Cooper
Michael James Corliss
Dominic Edward Couvrette
Allison Nicole Crockett
Shane Matthew Croye
Michael Shawn Cubas
Faith Lorraine Culver
Sophia Martin Cundiff
Kemper Lewin Davidson
Jeddie Kate Dawson
Samuel Evans Delaney
Jacob Daniel Dellinger
Andrea Reneé DeMaurice
Chase Everett Dent
Camryn Leighann Dermott
Hanson Do
Gabriel Noah Dorss
Matthew Ryan Duncan
Dillan Thomas Edgar
Cameron Jacob Elkins
Zainab Ahmed Faraj
Alexander Zane Farmer
Samuel Robert Ferguson III
Ronan Martin Finucane
Silas William Fitzgerald
Nathan Skyler Foley
Dakotah James Forth
Kaitlyn Warner Foutz
Ethan Augustus Frye
Darian Elizabeth Garland
Gianna Dorothia Gianni
Sean Michael Gibbons
Trista May Glenn
Sophia Nicole Glowczynski
Laura Alejandra Gomez
Whitney Nicole Goodwin
Jack McDermott Green
Chelynn Marion Hairston
Kacie Lynn Hanson
Kellie Elizabeth Hanson
Noah John Harding
Colby Douglas Harrison
Jacob Wallace Harvey
Marcus Daniel Henderson
Brian Wesley Henry
Gabriel Cole Hobbs
Aubrey Claire Hodges
Ryan Henry Hodges
Alma Hodzic
William Clarence Holland III
Levi Newell Holmes
Neely Kate Hurst
Farah Maryam Iqbal
Symphony Antwanaé Rhapsody Hope Jackson
Lane Berkeley Jamison
Emma-Lee Walton Jarrett
Ashley Ann Jennings
Darius Alexander Johnson
Chloe Dakota Johnston
Kayla Renee Jones
Armon Ameen Kazemi
Ayda Khanehzarrin
Kilana Zada Krista
Alison Marie Kurpe
Jagger Charles LaDouceur
Bryce Cole Layman
Courtney Lynn Lester
Michael Chen Lin
Gillian Ryan Lionberger
Makenzie Laryn Littleton
Teresa Joan Loughery
Jaren Elise Lowery
Andrew Nicholas Lucktong
Oriana Katherine Lukas
Hannah Liliana Luviano
Joshua Tyler Mabry
Frank Lake Maddow
Andrea Laine Maiolo
Keegan Bentley Manning
Analiese Melissa Maslich
Julia Marian Maslich
Shiann Alexus Mathis
Joshua Andrew Mauck
Kaleigh Elizabeth Maxey
Kyle Vincent McDonald
Peyton Kapri McQuilkin
Ian Hunter Merritt
Fiona Claire Miller
Madelyn Elizabeth Miller
Trevon Montel Miller
Charles Kelly Mitchell
Hannah Alyse Mixon
Salonee Pari Moona
Miles Brice Morrison
Jackson Edward Moyer
Joshua Mark Munsey
Lucas Tsepang Musselman
Collin Andrew Myburgh
Claire Elizabeth Nichols
Ethan Scott Nichols
Mubeen Muddasar Nisar
Matthew Timothy O`Neill
Chloe Suyuan Oliver
Benjamin Matthew Page
Allison Pyne Palmer
Bailey Shae Parker
Kathryn Elizabeth Parks
Neal Rakesh Patel
Brooke Michelle Pettipiece
Jack David Phillips
Laura Elizabeth Phillips
Megan Ashley Phillips
Elizabeth Ashley Phipps
Ayden Quinn Porter
Lindsey Elizabeth Powell
Pratik Pugazhenthi
Gavin Christopher Pyle
Alexander James Reed
Christopher Brian Resendiz
Maxwell Renshaw Reynolds
Emily Alexandra Robinson
Chloe Elizabeth Rogers
Sarah Elizabeth Roller
Joanne Naomi Sakamoto
Ina Danielle Samir
Elise Taylor Saunders
Erik Anthony Scarlatescu
Adam Howard Schenck
Oliver Jacob Sealey
Haley Jade Sessoms
Braeden Gabriel Sherertz
Wilson Zheng Shi-Wang
Mina Alexis Simmons
Frances Marie Sine
Iryan Trey Sisson
Jason Christopher Skillicorn
Abigail Rose Smith
Andrew Parker Smith
Brady Alexander Snell
Alizee Elizabeth Snowden
Sean Richard Snyder
Julianna Rene Sprague
Bailey Matthew St. Clair
Michael Andrew Stegall
Christina Lynn Strokus
Jennifer Lee Strokus
Samuel Robert Strong
Joshua David Stuart
Emily Gray Sturgeon
Catherine Page Sublett
Brian George Sunil
Kaylyn Renee Thomas
Makenzie Debra Thomas
Morgan Haley Thomas
Aaliyah Esperanza Tribble
Jennifer Katherine Trombley
Journee Renea Trotter
Lillie Clara Tung
Wesley Thomas Underwood
Stephanie Unur
Nathanael Lane Valentine
Brandon Charles VanAllman
Rachel Lynn Virostek
Ava Fontaine Wagner
Sarah Michelle Wanek
Madison Danielle West
Kaden Duane Whitenack
Layla Michelle Wilmer
Jovan Elijah Allen Wilson
Zachary Waylon Young
Yifei Zhao
As we come to the conclusion of our celebration, I would like to take one final opportunity for our graduates to reflect on this moment. While this is certainly not how any of us had envisioned the commencement for the Class of 2020, I am proud of these young adults for the maturity, empathy, and resilience that they have shown in the face of uncertainty and adversity this spring. I am positive that these characteristics will serve each of you well in your future endeavors and my hope for you is that the next time you face life’s uncertainties, you will always remember to be Titan Strong.
At this time you may stand from home. And now, by the authority granted me by the Commonwealth of Virginia and Roanoke County Public Schools, I affirm that you are all graduates of the seventeenth Hidden Valley High School graduating class, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities therein bestowed. Congratulations Class of 2020, you may now turn your tassels from right to left and again congratulations!
Congratulations to all the high school graduates out there. My name is coach Bennett and I’m the head coach at the University of Virginia, and I’m sincerely wishing you the best, whether it’s going on to college or whatever you’re going to do – a job well done to get through high school, and you guys are our future. We need you, and I know the future’s bright, so again, I wish you the best, and congratulations on this impressive accomplishment.
Congratulations Hidden Valley class of 2020! You’ve worked hard to achieve your goals. Chased your dreams with effort, passion and hard work. In the words of country singer Tim McGraw, always stay humble and kind.
Hey Roanoke County grads class of 2020, this is Tiki Barber, Cave Spring High School class of 1993. Now it goes without saying that this last semester of your senior year has been anything but ideal, but you persevered and you should be commended for that. It’s not easy missing all your spring activities or doing your homework from your bedroom or kitchen table but let me add my voice to the many who are going to tell you how proud they are. You guys succeeded through something very, very difficult. Congratulations and good luck to all of you in your future endeavors. I know that success will be right around the corner. Be well and stay safe.
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