30 • GRADUATION 2020 • KEMPER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL • THE MERIDIAN STAR
SHAKIRAH STEELE
Valedictorian
To our distinguished leaders of the Kemper County School District - the Board of Trustees,
Superintendent Hudson, Assistant Superintendent Hickmon, our illustrious principal,
Ms. Kathi Wilson, our loving and dedicated faculty and staff, family, friends, and fellow
graduates, I greet each of you and thank you for being with us tonight. I am honored to
stand before you as your 2020 valedictorian. Tonight, I am both thankful and inspired.
First, we have so much to be thankful for. We are somewhat a unique class - not because
we have necessarily superseded other classes academically but because we are the first
graduating class of Kemper County High School to have a global pandemic interrupt our
senior year. Yes, interrupted but not eradicated. While some might view this interruption as
a negative occurrence because our lives were abruptly changed by strict social guidelines, I
challenge you to see it a little differently. Let us reflect on the great memories we have and
use this pandemic as a testament to how strong and courageous we really are. C.S. Lewis
declared, “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” Class of
2020, I encourage you to stand tall just as we have been inspired to do at Kemper High.
We have had some truly amazing times and received such an astounding education under
the leadership of our visionary, Ms. Wilson, and our wonderful staff. Each of you has played
a unique role in our accomplishments. We have worked hard and remained dedicated to be
successful. We have been reminded day after day how awesome we are and how great we
will be. Thank you for challenging us to be better.
Ms. Wilson, thank you for being an example of a great leader. You put us first and went
“hard in the paint” every single day! Whether it was advocating for academic opportunities
such as dual credit/dual enrollment classes at no cost to our parents or ensuring that
we were provided off-campus experiences such as college and industry visits or even
reward trips - you were always looking for ways to make us competitive with our neighboring
peers. We may not have reached a successful rating yet, but we are successful individuals!
Your dedication to our futures has built character - and character breeds success. Elbert
Hubbard once said, “Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we
spend our time”. You have planted a seed of success within us, and for some of us, the
seed has already begun to sprout. We are truly proud and thankful to be the product of
Kemper County High School - a successful school where we bleed blue and gold.
To our teachers - there are far too many of you to name individually, but from the bottom
of our hearts, we thank you for your relentless support. Thank you for not giving up on
us, especially during the frequent times we did not believe in ourselves enough to keep
working, keep pushing, keep grinding. Thank you for insisting that we be better than good. Thank you for being role models while we were in your care. For the reading and annotating of long
texts, the study of advanced mathematical theories, and the analyses of primary source documents, thank you. We are better because of you. I am certain that we are prepared to move on
and to take on whatever opportunities or challenges come next in our lives. We are ready because of all that you have instilled in us - dedication, perseverance, and tenacity. Again, thank you.
Where would we be without you - our families and friends? These past four years have presented us with lots of ups and downs, and it is good to know that we had our families and our friends
in our corner supporting us along the way. You were our first teachers. Before we ever set foot into a school building, you taught us our very first lessons - lessons of respect and kindness,
lessons of forgiveness, lessons of hope and faith - to name a few. Those lessons are embedded in our hearts, tucked away until we need them again. We have made mistakes, yet you have
loved us; that’s unconditional. We are sure to make more mistakes, so we thank you in advance for your understanding and continuous support. John C. Maxwell said it best: “Family and
friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.” Tonight, we are thankful for you. You have allowed us the time and space to grow, to love, to play, to laugh, to cry - to simply live.
Thank you for allowing us to be great! We know we would not be here today without you.
Last but definitely not least, to my dear classmates - class of 2020! Can you believe it? We have made it to the finish line! The friendships that we have made here will last a lifetime. Not
even a formidable pandemic can dim our lights; we are overcomers in every sense of the word, so our lights are shining brighter than ever. We know no defeat; we are victorious despite
our current challenges. My charge to you is this: In the same way we have supported each other and helped each other succeed in these years at KCHS, let us continue to provide support
and encouragement for each other in future endeavors. We are family, and in the words of the Disney character, Stitch, “Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or
forgotten.” Our time at Kemper High is done. As we prepare to leave this place, we do not prepare to leave each other nor forget each other. Instead, let us vow to be our “brother’s keeper”
forever. Although we will not see each other daily, we are forever bound by cords of hope and love. Let us continue forward and live so that others will be inspired by our great works.