Officially signaling the final chapter of high school, Woodgrove and Tuscarora high schools said farewell June 12 to their first graduation class of 2012.

The beginnings of tradition at Woodgrove

For Woodgrove, their event may have been rained out, but there was no stopping the class of 2012’s parade. Walking in with smiles and joy – their graduation was anything but traditional – much like their entire school experience. The graduating class of 330 students, filtered into the high school’s gym to take the next step into their future lives.

Darren Baker sits in the front row after receiving his diploma. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters

“Tradition is an interesting concept. Because though it is often regarded as an immovable, unchangeable aspect of life, it’s really always changing. If you think about our high school experiences, an outsider might call it untraditional,” Woodgrove graduate and senior speaker Jocelyn Westray addressed her classmates. “But, what define tradition? Does it mean four years in a real high school, four years in the same high school? If that’s so, then I want nothing to do with this so-called tradition. We may have not had a traditional high school experience … but our lives will be anything but traditional.”

Senior Class President, Andrew Board said the class of 2012 had seen “more change than Obama’s 2008 campaign.”

“Tradition is not the word to describe the group that’s about the walk across the stage today,” Board said. “In four years we’ve walked through the doors of three separate buildings [and] worked with four different principals.”

Marshall Alexander, left, and Wesley Alvis, right, scan the crowd in Woodgrove High School’s gym, as Adriane Alvord whispers with Alison Anderson waiting for the commencement ceremony to begin June 12. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters

Joseph Spicer, Woodgrove’s Chemistry teacher and State Champion softball coach was selected as their commencement speaker, urging them to reconsider graduation, jokingly.

“Now, personally I think you’re all a bit crazy for wanting to graduate in the first place,” he said pointing out they can eat pizza five days a week. “Look at this school the community has built for you - it’s perfect. You’ve had it great since day one.”

Emily Avery stands as she is recognized for her honors achievements during Woodgrove High School’s graduation ceremony June 12. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters

“Some of you have been ready to graduate since the eighth grade. And now that that day has arrived, you’re a little afraid. Have faith, not fear,” Spicer added.

Quoting Winston Churchill, Spicer said, “this is not the end, it’s not even the beginning of the end. But, perhaps, it’s the end of the beginning.”

Woodgrove’s graduating class tossing their hats a bit too early, causing them to find them and cross their tassel over to signal their graduation. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Laura Peters

Tuscarora’s first graduates take flight

As the mixed choruses of Tuscarora High School lifted their voices to sing Bob Chilcott’s “In the Heart of the World,” school faculty and staff brushed a few tears from their eyes. The graduation of the class of 2012 was the end of all they had invested in these 235 students, but it also marked the school’s new beginning, as the first class ever to graduate from Tuscarora took flight.

“Even though your footprints may not leave lasting marks on the moon, music, or art, in your two years at Tuscorora, you’ve sparked an entire culture,” said James Cassar, who delivered the senior address. But, he said, the class’s high school accomplishments were “just a footnote in a larger story.”

Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny Amanda Welch smiles as she accepts the faculty scholarship from Tuscarora principal Pamela Paul-Jacobs during the graduation ceremony for the first graduating class June 12.

Rick “Doc” Walker, former tight-end for the Washington Redskins, encouraged students through his commencement address to display personal responsibility as they entered the real world, where “when you want to put gas in the car, you have to pay for it.”

“You just finished your first quarter, and you’re winning,” he said, but cautioned, “To succeed in life is not easy.”

Walker’s advice was practical: Say “please” and “thank you” and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Give your best instead of just doing enough to get by. Don’t expect life to be handed to you on a silver platter. Have the courage to say no to the party life, because the people who love you have sent you on a mission: “It takes more courage to say no than to say yes.”

“Endings are just doorways to new beginnings,” said valedictorian Jordan Tyrrell. Tyrrell shared how he learned to give back. “I took a trip to Virginia Beach that changed my life… It was there I dedicated my life to Jesus Christ,” he said. “An end had to be made to the way I was living to start a new beginning.”

Loudoun County Public Schools had 4,465 high school graduates for 2012 from 12 high schools, Douglass School and Monroe Technology Center. Graduation took place June 10 through 12 at various schools in the county and the Patriot Center in Fairfax.