Crossroads High School graduates 43

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press 

Crossroads High School held their annual Spring Commencement Ceremony Friday evening, where approximately 40 students walked across the stage at Lea Ledger Auditorium in front of friends, family and their classmates to receive their diploma. 
This ceremony marked a return to the “normal” ceremony for Crossroads High School, compared to the previous ceremonies that have been held during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, the commencement ceremonies were limited to one student’s family in the auditorium at a time. Friday’s ceremony saw the auditorium filled with family members and friends who cheered with glee for their graduate. 
Crossroads High School holds three commencement ceremonies per year: one in January, one in May and one in August. 
Crossroads High School Principal Pat Crawley has previously described Crossroads High School as the place for students who are the square peg who will not fit in the round hole. 
Crossroads High School offers an alternative path to graduation for students who want to graduate early or who need to go at their own pace and for those who want a more one-on-one setting. 
Makayla Witte, 18, said she chose to transfer to Crossroads High School after hearing about it from one of the counselors at Copperas Cove High School. 
Witte said she had heard nothing but amazing things about Crossroads High School and the staff there, and she wanted to graduate ahead of her traditional classmates- which she accomplished by graduating a week early.
“That was like a key point to me, because there were so many kids here [at Copperas Cove High School] that not everybody could just like focus on you individually and stuff like that, and it’s really something that I needed, and I knew that that’s something that Crossroads could offer,” Witte said. “So, it was really a key point to me that they sit and do one on one time with you. I really loved Crossroads. It was probably the highlight of my high school years.”
Witte said she had only spent about five months at Crossroads but managed to accomplish and submit more than 2,000 assignments and made the deadline of walking at graduation. 
“You go in there, and they are just as determined as you are to get you through there and get you out of there,” Witte added. “You tell them what you want, and they’re going to make it happen, and they’re going to help you get there.”
Witte plans to attend Texas A&M University, where she will major in Business Management. She hopes to pursue a career in entrepreneurship or accounting.

“It’s honestly such a big moment for me because there were times in high school I didn’t think I was going to get to graduation, with my class, and so being here is something truly amazing to me, and I really wouldn’t be here without the staff at Crossroads,” Witte said. “I’m not just saying that. That’s truly something that I mean.”
Witte said that the principal, Pat Crawley, and the counselor Mandy Warren, both played a key role in her success. 
Another graduate was Braedon Pearce, who transferred to Crossroads High School after finding virtual learning was more his pace following the pandemic. 
When Copperas Cove ISD eliminated their virtual learning options for the 2021-2022 school year, Pearce said he struggled with getting his class work done. He then found out about Crossroads. After inquiring about transferring to Crossroads, he began classes in late 2021. He said that he fell behind again for a couple months while at Crossroads, when his English teacher, Erin Kilpatrick, told him he needed to get ahead on his work in order to graduate. 
“Mrs. Kilpatrick, the English teacher, sat me down, and she was like, ‘Hey, look, you’re not going to graduate on time if you don’t start chipping away at your assignments,’” he said. “And so, I just started doing as many as I could whenever I could.”
Pearce said he is considering going into a trade school next year to become a diesel technician or a welder. He credited Crossroads High School secretary Sharon Whitis and his English teacher Erin Kilpatrick for his success. 
The Class of 2022 graduates for the Spring Commencement include: Alivia Arnold, Damian Baena, Mari Brooks,  Waylon Bredt, Julian Canning, Tristan Carel, Asereth Davalos, Tristan French, Nevaeh Frye, Michael Gray, Kalab Hartung, Datrrel Hasty, Connor Knox, Adain Krukoski, Andante Lilly, Takia Mayhew, Justin McCarrel, Gabriella McCormick, Lanashia Mike, Joneish Moore, Erica Morris, Kylea Murphree, Aidan Nageeullah, Braedon Pearce, Aniaya Pellegrino, Christopher Pullen, Samantha Ristine, Nelson Rodriguez, Matthew Roque, Devon Seda, Jarsun Sigrah, Leilah Smith, Joshua Snider, Blake Stayton, Dakan Taylor, Devyn Taylor, EJ Timothy, Jeremiah Tuttle, Alexxia Tucker, James Villanueva, Korban Weidemann and Makayla Witte.