The Charles County Public Schools graduation ceremonies began this week and are from May 28th through 31st with St. Charles kicking off the week with a morning commencement.
The Kelly-green robes of the Spartans were the first to dominate the field of Regency Furniture Stadium Tuesday led by valedictorian Miracle Washington and salutatorian Chloe Del Rosario.
“Know that life has a plan for you,” Del Rosario told her peers during her speech. “It’s time to say ‘Hello,’ to your future. Our lives are in no one else’s hands but our own.”
In her valedictory address, Washington admitted she was uncomfortable with public speaking or speaking up generally. “Public speaking is not my thing,” she said. For most of her high school career, she kept her head down and concentrated on her schoolwork, Washington said. She was focused on getting straight A’s and maintaining a top-class rank.
“When I think of valedictorian I think of an outspoken, confident leader,” she said. “Not the quiet, back-of-the-class kid who can barely read aloud the slides of a presentation she wrote, That’s not valedictorian material. But here I am.”
Washington wagered that this is a familiar feeling among her peers — the imposter syndrome. “You may look at the people around you and see their qualifications and talents and all that you don’t think you have,” she said. “But despite everything you made it. We’re all here because we’ve earned this. Never forget that.”
The Class of 2024 of St. Charles which boasted 368 members earned nearly $30 million in scholarship offers. Thomas Stone High School is set to graduate at 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 28. CCPS is livestreaming all graduations at www.ccboe.com and on its Vimeo and YouTube channels. Go to https://www.ccboe.com/quick-links/graduation-2024.
