This is the second entry in our Class of 2025 series.
Speaking to the Watson Chapel High School class of 2025, Superintendent Keith McGee told graduates: “You didn’t make it here by chance but by choice.”
McGee addressed 150 graduates Friday night inside the Pine Bluff Convention Center arena who chose education over everything else. He also praised the class for their persistence in late-night studies and early-morning practices, among other things in their high school lives.
“The world awaits your voice and your vision,” McGee said. “Whether you go to college, the workforce or the military, I challenge you to go into your future with Wildcat pride.”
Trinity Mitchner took the stage as valedictorian and spoke of the joy and relief she felt in the moment.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Going through sports, school, work and being a normal teenager was not an easy task,” said Mitchner, reflecting on her multi-hyphenate senior year that included titles of homecoming queen and senior class president. “I often found myself wanting to give up and decide it’s too much to handle when I just needed a break. But it was my trust in God and the people around me who made me push harder every day.”
She had plenty of supporters in the arena, including classmate Kevin Marcus, who broke out in a happy dance when he received his diploma.
Walker Stringfellow didn’t hide his Wildcat pride. A standout on the Watson Chapel football team – and the school’s art club, chess club and Quiz Bowl team – Stringfellow delivered the salutatory address and helped his classmates take in the once-of-a-lifetime moment in front of a large crowd.
“Tonight is the night to celebrate our past, but it doesn’t really matter because it’s what you do with today that will be your future,” Stringfellow said. “I challenge every single one of you to take charge of today to make your future bright.”
Stringfellow’s next stop is the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, to major in architecture. Appropriately enough, he capped his time in the limelight with the famous call: “Woo … Pig! Sooie!”
