VALDOSTA — Commencement exercises were held for the Georgia Christian School Class of 2024 on Friday, May 24, at the Lacy Elrod Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Friends, family, and community members gathered to watch the 25 members of the class graduate. STAR Teacher Jennifer Copeland gave the commencement address, in which she passed along advice from literature greats Ralph Waldo Emerson and Benjamin Hoff to the Class of 2024.

Graduating seniors from Georgia Christian must complete a minimum of 60 approved service hours to graduate. Dean Connie Guthrie recognized the two seniors with the most service hours over the course of their high school career, Deacon Hazel and Helen Bundrick.

The 1st and 2nd Honor Merit Awards are for the students with the next highest grade point averages after the valedictorian and salutatorian. Dean Connie Guthrie recognized graduate Tanner Rayfield as the 1st Honor Merit graduate and Kylynn Root as the 2nd Honor Merit graduate.

The Salutatorian of the Class of 2024 is Deacon Hazel. In his address, Deacon’s theme of “Are You Ready?” resonated with the gathered crowd. In her address, the Valedictorian of the Class of 2024, Linh Nguyen, first provided a message in her native Vietnamese, then told about her experience of traveling to the United States as a freshman, learning a new language and culture, and ultimately the lessons she will take on to the next phase of her life.

The honor of Mr. and Miss GCS is bestowed on the senior young lady and gentleman considered to exemplify the qualifications and ideals of leadership in the areas of Christianity, scholarship, friendship, and service, and are selected by the faculty and staff of Georgia Christian. Mr. and Miss GCS of the Class of 2024 are Deacon Hazel and Helen Bundrick.

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. This year, due to his high level of Bible scholarship and dedication to learning God’s word, the Senior Bible Award was given to Deacon Hazel.

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 Linh Nguyen. In addition, the Class Gift from the Class of 2024 to Georgia Christian is for all remaining funds from their class account to be added to the James R. Lee Math Scholarship Fund.

WyNetta Sherley was named the recipient of the Pine Embers Annual Dedication.