WINNSBORO - Take the time to admire the great distance that you have come, Fairfield Central High School valedictorian Mesha Sloss told the Class of 2009, and be mindful of the mountains that you have yet to climb.

The Griffin Class of 2009 graduated in McClendon Stadium this past Wednesday night. The diplomas were awarded by Acting Superintendent Marie Milam, as well as Board members, the principal and assistant principals of the high school and the director of the Career & Technology Center.

At Wednesday evening’s FCHS graduation, valedictorian Mesha Sloss told her classmates that each of them may have come great distances, but have not exhausted their potential for greatness.

She began her speech by thanking the people who have helped the Class of 2009 in their journey, starting with parents, family, friends and loved ones.

“Thank you for supporting each and every one of us, through the good times and the bad, as we have taken this journey from adolescence to adulthood.

“To the teachers, administrators, board members and all those who have ever taken an interest in our education, thank you for helping to lead us in the right direction and installing in us the knowledge we will need to make a difference in this world.”

To her classmates, she said, “today marks the pinnacle of 13 years of hard work...it also marks 13 years of laughter and 13 years in which we have all grown closer together...Just when it seems that we have reached the summit of our achievement, I implore us all to take a moment, and not only look down and admire the great distance that we have come, but also to look up and acknowledge the mountain peaks that we have yet to conquer.

“For though we have come a great distance...we have by no means exhausted our potential for greatness.

“Each and every one of us has the talent, the knowledge, the skills and the know-how to make even our wildest dreams come true.

“The Class of 2009 has proven over and over again that we are the best, and it is only fitting that we continue this legacy beyond high school.

“This is our moment,” he concluded, “our opportunity to show everyone what we’re made of. This is our world; we have only to seize it, to take it in our hands and shape it into something better for ourselves and those around us.”

Milaan Waters was salutatorian for the class. She provided some humorous memories of the Class of 2009, from their beginnings as clueless freshmen to their position as rulers-of-the-school seniors.

Their time was divided between learning their way around the school, to as she recalled “being here (in junior year) during a year of back-to-back bomb threats...something that no one could have predicted,” she said.

In summation, Milaan Waters told her classmates, “Class of 2009, you must think as well as feel, if you wish for our voice to be heard in a positive manner. We have accomplished our goals by leaving an everlasting light wherever we tread.”

DaJada Young and Jamie Thompson were marshals. Ushers were Trevon Goodwin, Andrea Holmes, Lakedra Robinson, Sharon Boyd, Nicholas Penn, Leslie Young, Kadelia Pete, Talesha Seibles and Maura Wood. The invocation was offered by Shallaliqua Ashimi and the benediction was offered by Nikita Pete. Music was provided by the FCHS Band and Chorus.

Check out the Big Blue Button on our website for the full range of Graduation 09 photos.