DASHER – Commencement exercises were held for the Georgia Christian School Class of 2023 at the Lacy Elrod Gymnasium.

Friends, family and community members gathered to watch the 22 members of the class graduate, school officials said in a statement.

Austin Morrison, former GCS teacher and coach, gave the commencement address, where he talked about the importance of putting Christ first in their lives and making decisions that will honor a commitment to God.

Graduating seniors from Georgia Christian must complete a minimum of 60 approved service hours to graduate. The Class of 2023 as a whole completed more than 2,360 service hours during their time in high school.

Dean Connie Guthrie recognized the two seniors with the most service hours during the course of their high school careers, Reagan Lawson and Lindsey Warren.

The first and second Honor Merit Awards are for the students with the next highest grade point averages after the valedictorian and salutatorian. Guthrie recognized graduate Katie Mullins and the first Honor Merit graduate and Lexi Lewis and the second Honor Merit graduate.

The salutatorian of the Class of 2023 is Emily Hernandez. In her address, she talked about how she came to be a student at Georgia Christian, her initial reluctance to open up, make friends and connect, and how, little by little, she came to value the differences that GCS had to offer her.

In his address, the valedictorian of the Class of 2023, Reagan Lawson defined the three features of good character: integrity, humility and empathy coupled with compassionate action. He described individuals and examples that illustrate those three features of good character and encouraged the members of his class to strive to develop those in their lives beyond Georgia Christian.

The honor of Mr. and Miss GCS is bestowed on the senior students considered to exemplify the qualifications and ideals of leadership in the areas of Christianity, scholarship, friendship and service, school officials said, and are selected by the faculty and staff of Georgia Christian. Mr. and Miss GCS of the Class of 2023 are Reagan Lawson and Lexi Lewis.

The Senior Bible Award at Georgia Christian School is given to one graduating senior whose Christian character is genuine, whose love for God is evident and whose knowledge of God’s word is pursued with dedication, school officials said. This year, due to his high level of Bible scholarship and dedication to learning God’s word, the Senior Bible Award was given to Reagan Lawson.

The James R. Lee Math Scholarship was established through a gift from the Class of 2020. For 40 years, Lee ensured his students were ready for the next level. This scholarship is “in honor of a man who truly loves math and the students he teaches.” The recipient of this scholarship has the highest overall math average for their high school career. This year’s recipient of the James R. Lee Math Scholarship is Emily Hernandez.

In addition, the Class Gift from the Class of 2023 to Georgia Christian is for all remaining funds from the class account to be added to the James R. Lee Math Scholarship Fund.

Roger Steis was named the recipient of the Pine Embers Annual Dedication.