On May 19th, the Class of 2024 was honored for all of their hard work that they have put in throughout their lives. They were able to walk across the stage and each received the diploma that they earned. Other students who excelled, also had the chance to be honored in the subjects they excelled in.
The ceremony began with the juniors walking out carrying the American flag, the Michigan flag, and the flag of colors; they were followed by the graduates and Concord staff. Maria Stevens came up to the stage to take a moment of silence for those who could not be at the ceremony. Then, Mrs. Snyder recognized students who received high academic honors by having each of them stand when the GPA they had was announced.
At this point in the ceremony, students received their four year awards. Gwendolyn Bulko received the Social Studies, Science, Math, and English awards; Ella Woolworth received the Math and Art award; Riley Adams received the Social Studies and Spanish award; Rylee Sinden received the Science award; Savanna Payne received the English award; Mykala Drew received the Art award; Mekhi Wingfield received the Health & Physical Education award.
Valedictorian, Gwendolyn Bulko has had an excellent high school career. She shares who has helped her the most throughout that time, “Mrs. O has done a lot because she has been more than a teacher to me. She cared so much about my family and was always checking up on me. Some of the biggest projects I have done with the school like my recycling program or when I did a clothes drive were with the help of her.” Bulko gives some advice to those who are looking to become valedictorian for their class. Her biggest piece of advice is to take advantage of the opportunities that you are given. She says, “When you see something that needs to be done, do not just wait for someone else to do it. Take the initiative yourself, it helps a lot. Also, academically, have good time management skills. I had a planner and I managed out my time, so I knew I would not get behind, but you can do absolutely anything.” Bulko leaves one last piece of advice: “You need to have fun, you need to take it seriously, but this is a really good time in your life. You can build some really good connections with people, so if you just take risks with yourself and be open with the things you’re comfortable doing, that can honestly change your life a lot.”
Salutatorian, Ella Woolworth has worked hard to make it to this position. She uses two words to describe high school, “transformative and memorable”. Woolworth adds what her favorite part of high school was: “My favorite part of high school was the moments where our class would all come together to participate in things like spirit week or class activities. We would just have fun all together like we used to in elementary and middle school and create unforgettable memories.” Woolworth finishes by explaining what advice she would give someone who wanted to become salutatorian. She says, “My advice for people who want to be salutatorian is make sure you give your best on every assignment and do not just do the bare minimum. I also suggest surrounding yourself with people who will push you and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. This will help drive you to want to do everything to the best of your ability.”
Nolan Mattson was a crucial part to many of the programs here at Concord. He explains that Mrs. O was one of the teachers that was extremely helpful through everything that he did while he was here. He adds, “I have had her for three years and is honestly my favorite teacher. She has definitely pushed me to grow a lot on student council, film studies, and leadership.” Mattson also explains that his classmates were a large part of his high school experience. He has been able to be with them since kindergarten and has done countless activities with them since them. Although he has truly enjoyed his high school experience, Mattson is also excited for this new chapter. He says, “I am just really excited for college, and just kind of the next stepping stone into my adult life. I am excited to be able to explore careers that I am interested in and it’s just a really exciting thing to go into.”
Tanith Walker was a huge part in many clubs, especially student council. This year she was able to create countless memories, but her favorite ones were when they were the last ones. These days included the last day of school, last lunch together, last pep assembly together, and much more. Something that Walker will always remember from high school was from student council. She says, “I will always remember all the stuff we planned for student council; that was fun.” When asked what she will miss the most, Walker explained that it will be a person: “I will miss Mrs. O, she was my fav.”
TJ Allen has also had an excellent high school career, between his academics and his athletics. When asked how he has changed since freshman year, Allen responded, “I am way more mature, I am obviously older. I feel like more of a person now rather than when we came in freshman year. It was still kind of Covid and we did not really know what to do. Now, I kind of have more of an understanding.” He adds that he believes that being on time was a really important part of why he was able to succeed. Allen finishes by explaining what he is nervous for next year: “I am nervous for a new beginning and for making the right choices.”
Levi Raymond has had a memorable experience during high school. When asked what his favorite part was, he responded: “I would say all the bonds and connections that I made with the closest people around me. Hopefully these are the people that will stay with me out of high school too.” He credits his parents for all the help they gave him. Raymond explains that they motivated and helped him through everything that he needed. For the incoming freshmen, he leaves them one piece of advice: “Stay ahead on your work and make sure you never get behind because getting caught up is very stressful.”
We are extremely grateful for everything the class of 2024 has done for the school. We wish you the best of luck in everything you do in the future. Concord High School will not be the same place without you!
