Grads launched into life after school

Students in the class of 2024 celebrated each other as well as their teachers, principal and families during the Q.I. Roberts Junior-Senior High School graduation ceremony.

Each graduate had no shortage of accolades to wear when they received their diplomas Saturday at Bennett-Cooper Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Palatka. 

While some of the ceremony focused on the good times of the past, Saturday’s event created new memories for some. 

Assistant Principal Sharice Williams granted her son, Trenton Williams, his high school diploma. Twin sisters Reagan and Riley Blackmear graduated together and spoke Saturday to their fellow graduates about all the things the 2024 Q.I. Roberts Knights accomplished. 

“As Knights, we’ve been through it all together – the highs, the lows and everything in between,” student government President Reagan Blackmear said. “We’ve faced challenges head-on, sometimes stumbling but always finding the strength to get back up. And in those moments, we discovered a resilience within ourselves that we never knew existed.”

The graduating class dealt with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which began during their freshman year, while juggling the school’s Cambridge program curriculum. 

The class of 2024 graduated with their Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education. 

Every Q.I. Roberts student is part of the college-prep Cambridge program, which has been at the school since 2013. Students must be accepted into the program to participate in Cambridge.

Class President Jazmine Clayberger said her colleagues excelled in academics and formed a community that upholds the school’s motto: “Excellence in All Endeavors.”

Their time in school has not only been about grades, she said, but the lessons learned along the way. 

“Just like the leaves growing on the trees with the warmth of the sun, we, too, have flourished under the nurturing guidance of our teachers, mentors and our peers,” she said. “We have absorbed knowledge, gained skills, cultivated friendships that will last a lifetime. And as we step out into the world, we carry with us the wisdom and experiences that have shaped us into the individuals that we are today.”

The intimate graduation ceremony gave students time to express their gratitude toward their teachers and leave behind the Knights Legacy Award with Principal Joe Theobold. Students Leah Zabad, Allison Dennis and Cayden Ferguson gifted Theobold with a token to boost school spirit and traditions after they were gone. 

“We also wanted this gift to represent our time here at Q.I.,” Zabad said. “Particularly, we as a class have had a part in the recovery of school spirit after COVID.”

She said they chose something that spoke to Theobold’s spirit, especially during pep rallies, a T-shirt launcher. The principal fired the inaugural tee in front of the cheering and clapping class of 2024. 

While Theobold shared in the revelry, he also celebrated his former charges’ academic and personal growth.

“Graduates, I am proud to have watched you develop virtue, to learn not only skills but values, gaining not just knowledge but wisdom,” he said. “Take from your time at Q.I. Roberts the understanding that to be human is to be flawed, but we are called to pursue excellence.”