Crossroads High School holds fall graduation ceremony

By PAMELA GRANT

Cove Leader-Press

Fifteen Copperas Cove Crossroads High School students completed their high school requirements, with 11 of them walking across the stage last Thursday.

Daysia Burnette, Xander Christoph, A’nyah Clayton, Joseph Hambrick, Kylie Herrmann, Akari Morris, Johnathan Phipps, Noah Reynolds, Matthew Rush, Sebastin Smith, and Johnny Wilkey officially walked across the Lea Ledger Auditorium stage last week receiving their diplomas and celebrating with their families. 

Ares Bly, Caleb McGuire, Joseph Valentin, and Jade Williams graduated, but did not participate in Thursday’s ceremony.

“You are a testament to reliance and determination,” said Crossroads High School Principal Pat Crawley to the graduating seniors. “In Crossroads, we often talk about finding your own way…You have the power to shape your future.”

Crawley reminded the graduating seniors that it’s ok for them to stumble every once in a while as long as they power through it and forge their own unique futures.

“It really means a lot to be graduating now,” said Kylie Herrmann. Herrmann has had a rough journey after dropping out during both her junior and senior year at Copperas Cove High School. Herrmann said that she was struggling a lot with her mental health. She said that she received a notice saying that she wasn’t going to be able to graduate. After enrolling at Crossroads High School, she was able to turn her life around.

“I’ve always worked better in a self-paced environment,” said Herrmann.

Herrmann said that her teachers were a huge help in making sure that she would be able to graduate. She already is currently working in a nursing home and plans to continue doing so. She hopes to eventually join a community college to earn a degree in nursing.

Herrmann wasn’t alone in her story, as her fellow classmates had their own struggles that Crossroads High School was able to help them work through.

“It’s been pretty hard. There’s been a lot of financial struggles,” said Johnny Wilkey about his high school journey. He plans to get started working in a prison to help earn money and he hopes to eventually move on to a technical school where he can learn to work on wind turbines.

“I’m getting my life started,” said Wilkey.

“School has always been a struggle for me,” said Matthew Rush who graduated Thursday. “But I made it through. This is a big accomplishment.”

Rush said that the online aspects of Crossroads High School worked a lot better for him than the traditional high school environment.

Shawntae Sneed, a history teacher at Crossroads High School, said that the online portion of the school is very helpful for many of the students as they are able to accelerate their learning online with Edgenuity. 

She said that they have a 1-hour power hour in a more traditional setting each day as well. The students have the same requirements as CCHS students, they are just in a smaller, more self-paced environment. 

“It gives them control of their education,” said Sneed. “Throughout their learning, we’re there to assist them in any way possible.

“We’re there to encourage, inspire, and let them know that it’s going to be ok,” said NooNoo Garner, a math teacher at Crossroads High School, about their graduation. “I’m so happy for them, but it’s a bit bittersweet since we’ve been working with them for so long…I’m so proud of them.”