William Byrd High School Class of 2024 celebrates school’s 100th commencement

By Debbie Adams

The William Byrd High School Class of 2024 celebrated the 100th commencement in the school’s
history at the Salem Civic Center on May 21. Records indicate that the first four-year “Vinton
High School” class graduated in 1924.

The Class of 2024 is made up of 290 graduates; 129 of them honor graduates with a 3.5 or higher
GPA. Sixty-five students are valedictorians with a 4.0 GPA of higher; 148 earned advanced
studies diplomas.

SCA President Makenna Jacobsen opened the ceremony by leading guests in the Pledge of
Allegiance.

Valedictorian Eva Brown then addressed her classmates.

“As the Class of 2024, we have been through many ups and downs in our high school career. We
broke school records, resided in learning cottages, and persevered through a pandemic. Our class
has been through many firsts that no other class will experience. Our class has represented
William Byrd well. For the first time ever, the William Byrd football team won the regional
championship and went to the state tournament. Last year, our girls soccer team made it to the
state tournament for the first time and won the regional championship.

“Our freshman year may have looked a little different from others’ first year of high school, but
we made it work. We had to rise to the challenge of learning partially online, while our teachers
had to learn how to teach half online, half in person. We worked as a community, and we were
able to make it through.

“Starting our sophomore year, we spent much of our time in ‘learning cottages’ due to
construction. It may have been hard to adjust but the students and faculty adapted and made the
best of the situation. I honestly enjoyed the learning cottages and appreciated the time we were able to walk outside. However, the few times I had to walk in a rainstorm, may not have been my
favorite part. Just this year, we were able to move all the classes into the new school and
experience a completely renovated school for the first time.

“The start of our high school experience was not exactly what we expected with Covid and
construction. So, if any of y’all are worried about the next chapter in our lives just remember
everything that we were able to accomplish and overcome.

“I want to thank our principal, Mrs. Newcomb, for everything she has done for my class and
everything she has done for the school. As many of you know, she is leaving our school next
year. Obviously, she wanted to leave after the best class—or maybe we pushed her over the
edge. To all of our teachers, admin, and coaches, thank you for always supporting us and shaping
us into the people we are today.”

Principal Tammy Newcomb spoke next.

First, she recognized William Byrd alumni through the
decades and conducted an informal poll to determine who was the longest-standing alumni in
attendance. They were presented with the gold 100th anniversary pin which all members of the
Class of 2024 had received.

“The significance of the 100th graduating class is monumental as it marks a century of academic
excellence, growth and impact,” said Newcomb. “As we just recognized the alumni of William
Byrd it is a testimony to enduring traditions, milestones, and the lasting legacy of being a Terrier.
The Class of 2024 embodies resilience, achievement and a testament to the continuous pursuit of
knowledge and success. The 100th graduating class represents a bridge between the past, present
and the future, showcasing our ability to adapt, innovate and thrive for generations to come.

“At the very first senior class meeting I asked you to lead by example, to always be someone
who makes being a Terrier a reason to be proud. You superseded my expectations. The Class of
2024 has bonded together, supporting each other through all the trials and tribulations you’ve
experienced.

“Whether you have chosen to go to college, the workplace or the military, William Byrd High
School has equipped you with the skills needed to be successful. Graduation is a milestone that
no one can take away from you. Use what you have learned. Recognize the challenges you have
overcome. Continue to strive to achieve and most importantly always be kind to one another and
help those who are less fortunate. The path to your success is in your hands. Your resilience and
good decisions will set you apart. Embrace challenges and keep pushing forward.”

Newcomb went on to recognize several specific achievements by individual students:

• David Gaspar-Cabrera, Makenna Jacobsen, Jenny Nguyen, Elliot Gaines, Nicolas
  Posadas, Alexandra Bonilla, Jaslyn Bibby, Erin Adkins, Madelyn Davis, Tracy, Nguyen,
  Sydney Blewett, Tanner Montgomery, Samantha Start and Addisyn St Clair earned the
  Biliteracy Seal in Spanish; Bruno DeMelo, in Portuguese; Noah Franks, in French and
  Latin; Zach James, in Russian, and Olaedo Anyanwu, in Latin.
• Two students, Hunter Burgess and James Puckett, will be serving in the Virginia Army
  National Guard.
• Sixteen athletes have committed to playing collegiate sports. Playing football are
  Brayden Andrews, Lane Shoemaker, Bricen Lancaster Cooper Minnix, and Izzy
  Hairston. Participating in track and field, Wyatte Bailey, Reagan Lilley and Donald
  Mullins. Michael Hoyos will swim at the next level. Julian Pantoja will play lacrosse and
  Abbie Fitzgerald will play softball. Cheering at the next level are Emma Kageals,
  Sheradyn O’Neill and Gracie Mick. Blake Glover will play baseball.
• Israel Hairston was named Class 3 VHSL Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. This is a
  great honor and the only student at William Byrd who has accomplished this. Izzy plays
  football, baseball, basketball and runs track while maintaining excellent grades. Izzy is
  one of our valedictorians. He will be attending Virginia Tech and recently was offered a
  preferred walk on spot for Virginia Tech’s football team.
• William Byrd High School had the first EPORTS team in the Region. This year the
  ESPORTS team won the state championship in Rocket League. Those senior teammates
  are Finley Stephens, Landon Caldwell, and Ethan Garlick.
• Wyatt Bailey won the State Pole Vault Competition in indoor track and is on his way to
  win the state in outdoor track. Wyatt is heading to William and Mary to compete on their
  track and field team.
• Two singers made it to the all-state choir, Cindel Camper and Olaedo Anyanwu.
• Joshua Hardy achieved the Eagle Scout ranking.
• Nine William Byrd students completed or will begin apprenticeships with companies in
  the valley– Thomas Wood (Hopkins/Lacy), Benjamin Sink (Southern Air), Jordan Bryant
  (Woods Auto), Britton Harnish (Hopkins/Lacy), Aaron Glass (Lawrence Transfer),
  Christian Lovern (Western VA Water Authority), Adam Harris (Wabtec), Brandon
  Scruggs (Hopkins/Lacy) and Benjamin Guertin (Thomas Dunn Studios).
• Thirty-eight students who attend BCAT have earned certifications in Cosmetology, Auto
  Service, Criminal Justice, Welding, Game Design and Programing, Mechatronics and
  Robotics, Computer Information Technology, Cyber Security, Building Trades, Motor
  Sports, Culinary Arts, and Center for Mass Communications.
• The Leo Club accumulated over 800 hours of community service, making it the most
  active LEO Club in the state. It is associated with the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club and
  sponsored by Lisa Stover.

Newcomb also paid tribute to three retiring faculty members: David Mitchell (Health and PE),
Suzanne Spruell (Librarian), and Carol Webster (Theatre Arts and English).

“The next few years are important years,” Newcomb said in closing. “Continue to work hard just
like you have the last four. Franklin Roosevelt once said, ‘We may not be able to prepare the
future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.’ We think we have
done that. You will be given advice the rest of your lives but remember ‘Be productive; be
honest; be thankful; and be kind.’”

Senior members of the William Byrd Choir then performed “I Am Still Your Dreamer” led by
Choral Director Matt Bartley. Participants included Olaedo Anyanwu, Brooklyn Arven, A’Mari
Banks, Abigail Bush, Cindel Camper, Leighla Graham-Martin, Makenna Jacobsen, Alexis Loughlin, Alaena Seigler, Melinda Smith, Emily Sowers, Samantha Start, Demarion Williams,
and Elizabeth Young.

Valedictorian Olaedo Anyanwu next delivered her “Top Terrier” address. (Each year William
Byrd elects one student to serve as Top Terrier—one of the highest honors at WBHS.)

“Today is not just about celebrating our successes; it’s about embracing the journey that brought
us here—every triumph, every setback, and every unexpected failure. An act none of us could
have done without the help of each other and most importantly without our supportive parents
and the gracious teachers and staff at WBHS.

“As we celebrate this joyous milestone, I am here to talk to you about something that many of us
would rather not celebrate despite all having experienced it: failure. Yes, failure—the dreaded F-
word that can evoke fear, sadness, uncertainty, or the inevitable discussion with your track
coach. However, I’m here to encourage you to challenge your perception of failure and perceive
it not as a setback but rather as a stepping-stone. Take a moment to think about it. Some of you
may be thinking about when you first learned how to walk, drive, or even learned how to take an
integral in calculus class. When you were learning to walk, how many times did you fall before
you could confidently stride across the room? When you learned how to drive, how many curbs
did you hit before you successfully drove in a straight line. Ultimately failure is how we grow.
It’s how we become resilient.

“I’d like to share a story with you all. Picture me in the beginning of this school year—It’s senior
year, so I was eager and ambitious to continue the pattern I have set up for myself in high school,
so I could finish the year strong. I signed up for a physics class thinking I’d breeze through it.
How hard could it be? All it was, was trains hitting each other mixed in with some elements of
gravity and Newton’s Laws. Clearly, I was a little clueless, but I didn’t realize it until I got my
first test back with a big fat ‘D’ on the paper. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one who bombed the
test, but afterwards, my teacher apologized to us for never being challenged in any other classes.

“I toyed around with that concept all year because while I did agree with it, I felt as if it was
missing something. The fact that I had never been ‘challenged’ wasn’t the issue; it was the fact
that I never embraced the challenges. I never used the challenge to learn from mistakes. In
physics, everything builds so if I never learned and embraced my mistakes, they would continue
to impact me.

“Former President Barack Obama once said, ‘You can’t let your failures define you, you have to
let your failures teach you.’ Throughout our high school years, we have encountered numerous
challenges from spending the majority of school in small trailers, to dealing with a global
pandemic, while having to balance personal and academic struggles. But look at us now. All of
us decked out in our caps and gowns shows the power of how we persevered and grew when we
experienced failure from tough times.

“Let’s face it—life after graduation won’t be a straight path. There will be setbacks, successes,
and yes, failures. But remember, every setback is a setup for a comeback. It is an opportunity to
turn every adversity to an advantage, every disappointment into determination. So, embrace the unexpected. Embrace the failures. They will mold you into a lifelong learner—a person who
thrives on challenges and keeps pushing through failure. I urge you to embrace failure as a friend
rather than an enemy. Let it teach you, comfort you, and guide you. As we prepare to leave high
school and take on the next stage of our life let us commit to not avoiding mistakes but to learn
from them.”

The William Byrd Senior Choir, led by Choral Director Matt Bartley, performed the beautiful “I
Am Still Your Dreamer.” Choir members included Olaedo Anyanwu, Brooklyn Arven, A’Mari
Banks, Abigail Nicole Bush, Cindel Camper, Leighla Graham-Martin, Makenna Jacobsen,
Alexis Loughlin, Alaena Seigler, Melinda Smith, Emily Sowers, Samantha Start, Demarion
Williams, and Elizabeth Young.

Next up was the eagerly awaited “Presentation of Diplomas,” beginning with the valedictorians.

While the graduates were coming to the stage to receive their diplomas and congratulations from
Newcomb, Assistant Principals Travis Anderson and Phillip Martin, School Board members
David Linden and Tim Greenway, and School Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely, their photos and
future plans were displayed onscreen.

Those future plans for the Class of 2024 include (valedictorians are indicated with an asterisk):

Camden County Community College: Titus Blalock
Catawba College: Bricen Lancaster
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: Landon Lorton
College of William and Mary: Benjamin Abbott*, Wyatte Bailey*, Shiloh Markwith*, Jenny
Nguyen*
Cosmetology School: Kimberly Saunders
Dallas College: Hannah O’Brien
Eastern Kentucky University: Haven Fralin
Eastern Mennonite University: Abigail Fitzgerald
Electrical/Mechanical Apprenticeship with GJ Hopkins: Braedon Scruggs, Thomas Wood
Emory and Henry College: Reagan Lilley, Donald Mullins, Jr.
Florida State College at Jacksonville: Kaylee Blackwell
George Mason University: David Gaspar-Cabrera*, Emma Miller*, Ashlynn Thomas
High Point University: Noah Thompson
Hollins University: Elizabeth Young*, Sydney Bunce

James Madison University: Nathan Carter*, Dominic Dulak*, Aiden Eline*, Thaddeus Lilley*,
Keller Spraker*, Karli Stephenson*, Kayli Thompson*, Terran Brown, Donivan Davis IV, Lance
Hollins, Maddox Wolfe
Johns Hopkins University: Tracy Nguyen*
Liberty University: Samantha Flippen*, Sawyer Harris*, Bruno DeMelo, John Kiker, Riley
Roth
Longwood University: Carter Dullaghan*, Samantha Start*, Makynna Byrd
Mary Baldwin: Emmanuel Blake
Mather Dance Company: Kallie Niday*
New River Community College: James Glover
New York University: Hernan Cataneo-Luna*
Norfolk State University: A’Mont Banks, Amouria McCadden
NC State University: Jaslyn Bibby*, Eva Brown*
Old Dominion University: Jack Hinkle*, Teea Hash
Paul Mitchell The School Roanoke: Haley Lecas
Radford University: Ashley Woods*, Brooklyn Arven, Abigail Bush, Alexandra Chaney,
Kadence Fernatt, Leighla Graham-Martin, Autumn Hicks, Stephen McPherson, Alaena Seigler,
Madison White
Radford University–Carilion: Caitlin Bishop*, Addisyn St. Clair*, Lillian Betterton, Jocelyn
Brigdon, Savanah Gibson, Taryn Hodges, Kyra Lane, Katelyn Lucas, Kaylee Mitchell, James
Puckett, Isaiah Rider
Randolph Macon College: Lance Freedle
Roanoke College: Payton Martin*, Johnathan Teague*, Brayden Andrews, Michael Hoyos,
Matthew Kalb, Matthew Klugas, Alexis Loughlin, Gracie Mick, Sheradyn O’Neill, Lane
Shoemaker
Shenandoah University: Cooper Minnix
Southern Air Apprenticeship: Benjamin Sink
Springfield College: Dallas Dowdy
Thomas Dunn Studios Apprenticeship: Benjamin Guertin
University of Cincinnati: Joshua Hardy*
University of Virginia: Olaedo Anyanwu*, Alexandra Bonilla*, Dexter Gaines*, Elliott
Gaines*, Claire Glover*, Makenna Jacobsen*, Abigail Moats*, Griffin Yakob*

University of Virginia, Wise: Natalie Blevins*
Virginia Commonwealth University: Anibeth Dixon,
Virginia Military Institute: Carleigh Cooper
Virginia State University: A’Mari Banks, Nutalya Rivera
Virginia Tech: Erin Adkins*, Ashley Begasse*, Ian Burnett*, Elizabeth Dixon*, Landon
Dyess*, Noah Franks*, Israel Hairston*, Zachary James*, Emma Kageals*, Alexis LaBarbera*,
Sean Minnix*, Tanner Montgomery*, Finley Stephens*, Kenny Trang*, Emily Tuck*, Madelyn
Ward*, Kathryn Bryant, Logan Carpenter, Zachary Claybrook, Andrew Lindsay, Nicole
Posadas, Nathaniel Vaughn, Ian Vest, Beau Brady
Virginia Wesleyan College: Julian Pantoja
Virginia Western Community College: Sarah Addo*, Sydney Blewett*, Emily Cook*,
Phoenix Eanes*, Tyler Morrison*, Emily Sowers*, Brenin Witcher*, Jayla Barger, Sylvia
Bautista, Jissele Beckner, Luke Abbott, Emmerson Abshire, Dakota Adams, Noah Austin, Ryan
Ayersman, Sydney Brown, Jordan Bryant, Hunter Burgess, Dylan Burkett, Landon Caldwell,
Dylan Callahan, Cindel Camper, Marc Carroll, Karisma Carver, Alexis Christensen, Tyler
Ciafardini, Kierra Clark, Devin Colgan, William Cox, Jr., Jordan Crowell, Madelyn Davis,
Aiden Dogan, Sali Doura, Mandolin Draper, Camryn Eaker, Seth Elmore, Milla Farrington,
Avery Fay, Isaac Fedor, Makayla Flack, Nicholas Franco, Landyn French, Ethan Garlick,
Mykiah Garrison, Ruby Gaspar-Reyes, Reid Hanson, Kaliyah Harris, Jayden Hedrick, Aaron
Hill, Donald Hodges, Landon Hodges, Cole Kovacevic, Camden LaPrad, Brandon Leftwich,
Stephanie Liben-Ceballo, Taylor Long, Callie Lusk, Mariah Majkowski, Steven Matar, Allyson
Mavredes, Andrew Maxwell, Brayden McCulloch, Adam Megdadi, Abigail Miller, Madison
Montgomery, Mackenzie Moock, Kris Neal, Brycen Nielsen, Braden Oliver, Kylie Pampani,
Camdyn Perdue, Makayla Price, Ryanne Quarles, Cesar Rodriguez-Muniz, Montgomery Self,
Charles Smith, Domniic-Nasir Smith, Melinda Smith, Parker Spradlin, Joshua Stores, Jillian
Stuber, Mason Teehan, Chloe Varney, Dakota Vaughan, Kendra Wallace, Alexis Ware, Brianna
Webb, Trenton West, Meghan White, Demarion Williams, Emily Wilmer, Brooke Wimmer
Workforce: Michael Chisom, Ava Arnold, Jonah Banks, Cody Barker, Dalton Beckner-Pollard,
Xachary Brogan, Takenya Brown, Hayden Bryant, Cody Burkett, Noah Camper, James Canady,
Ryan Carista, Gage Cochran, Ryan Cole, Jr., Dillon Colgan, Anastayzia Cook, Staceyjo Cook,
Caden Cunningham, Carter Dillon, Curtis Dillon, Lee Doss, Ja’Ree Fleming, Andrew Flowers,
Hugo Forero, Marlee Francisco, Aaron Glass, Lukas Graley, Kindra Hampton, Adam Harris,
Gavin Hunley, Andrew Kiker, Brayden King, Gretchen Kinney, Keila Leonel-Castro, Marissa
Loback, Christian Lovern, Daemeon Lowe, Hailey Mandakis, Brianna McFadden, Savhanna
Mueller, Taylor Nininger, Travis Nute, Grace Owen, Brady Reachy, Justin Rickard, Hunter
Roberts, Jamie Rowlett, Jr., Jada Satterwhite, Sandy Scott, Noah Shelor, Tristan Siebert, Sean
Seifert, Noah Shelor, Jesse Smith, Brittany Stanley, Jasmine St. Clair, Luke Stubbs, Jovie
Underwood, Tyler Webster, Kaylynn Wilson, Grayson Workman, Dakota Wright, and Nicholas
Yakob

Other graduates include Devan Brunk, Britton Harnish, Aiden Moore, and Aiden Hundley.

Graduation 2024 concluded with “Alma Mater” performed by the William Byrd Band under the
direction of Dan Plybon.

Senior Sponsor Hannah Prater facilitated the Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony. The
ceremony can be viewed online in its entirety at https://www.rcps.us/graduation.