On a warm and breezy evening at Lobo Stadium, the Class of 2018 donned cap and gown to celebrate their graduation from Longview High School... and begin the first day of the rest of their lives.
Senior Class President Teresa Orona greeted the crowd, sharing an impassioned and light-hearted exhortation to her peers.
'We are stepping out of the hallways of Longview High School and into the real world, where we won't always have second chances,' she said.
LHS salutatorian Suzanne Zeid urged her classmates to not play it safe having graduated from high school, but to seek even greater heights of personal growth and achievement.
'We are the generation who will bring about postiive change and rebuild our country,' she said. 'All that's required of us is that we don't give in.'
Class of 2018 valedictorian Stephanie Guck recalled fond memories of how far the class had come since their elementary days, and reminded them of the importance of understanding from where one comes to better understand where one needs to go.
'Take a look around, this may be the last time you get to share these memories with some of the faces in this green-clad crowd,' she said. 'The bonds built here will carry on throughout your life no matter how far you go.'
With some offers still pending, scholarships total $5,415,784 for 129 seniors.
The Top 2 percent of the Class of 2018 includes (in alphabetical order): Isabella Cowart, Levi Grant, Stephanie Guck, Madeline Johnson, Sean King, William Langston, Justin Melendez, Carter Sorrels, Kyra Turner, and Suzanne Zeid.
Graduates finishing in the Top 10 percent of their class includes (in alphabetical order): Elizabeth Adeeko, Ana Aguilar, Kamri Alexander, Madeline Archer, Mariana Aviles-Gutierrez, Joshua Babino, Naum Barron, Tatyana Bauer, Elissa Branch, Morgan Butler, Jarrett Camp, Emma Clark, Zeru Dong, John Earnest, Alexander Garza, Jensen Gates, Carrie Gilliland, MᶜAndrew Henderson, Alyssa Jester, Caitlin Johnson, Mary-Claire Jones, Maria Landin, Collin Lee, Rachel Lin, Olivia Lorenz, Hallie McFarland, Ashley Mendenhall, Hannah Miller, Vanessa Monsivais, Itzel Montoya, Olivia Norrell, Bailey Odom, Logan Spence, Kindra Taylor, Noah Terry, Jacobus Van Zyl, Kyia Elise Walker, and Taylor Lucia Weedon.
It was a joyous celebration as well as a solemn tribute to three students who passed away during the 2017-18 school year: Rylie Malone, Jessup Sanders, and Lacey Smarr.
LHS Principal James Brewer said the students' deaths 'each left a tremendous void in the Longview High School community.'
'All of Longview ISD mourns with the families of each of these students, and we remember each of them for the wonderful young people they were,' he said.