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Jamestown High’s Class of 2024 encouraged to embrace change

Proud parents and family members searched for a familiar face among the sea of caps and gowns as Jamestown High School’s Class of 2024 filed into William and Mary’s Kaplan Arena on Friday.

Principal Howard Townsend IV welcomed the 287 graduates, acknowledging the more than $5 million in scholarships that were awarded to 58 seniors. He also recognized 10 WJCC Honors Program recipients, who each conducted unique academic honors projects, did community service and took Advanced Placement courses.

Mia Meadows, who will attend the University of North Carolina, was valedictorian, and Luke Xavier Pelletier, who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was salutatorian.

In his speech to the graduating class, Pelletier shared how his honors project provided him with a “unique perspective.” Pelletier hosted his own podcast, in which he interviewed members of Jamestown High in an effort to “paint a picture” and demonstrate how the pandemic affected their high school experience.

“What emerged from these conversations, however, was a testament to our resiliency in the face of adversity,” Pelletier said.

The Class of 2024 missed out on many traditions, he noted, but they also found new ways to connect and support each other.

“Always search for positives in a negative circumstance,” Pelletier said, emphasizing the importance of embracing change, “the power of community” and perseverance.

Change is the only constant in life, Hayden Matthew Petry told his fellow graduates. Petry grew up in a military family and found himself moving around a lot. Petry recalled struggling to make and keep friends as he moved from Texas to Japan to Tennessee.

“Whenever we go through the slightest bit of change or inconvenience in life, we switch into this victim-like mindset and spend our time complaining about the problems around us,” he said.

This mindset causes people to miss the good that’s right in front of them, Petry said, but it only takes a little digging to find the silver lining.

“Instead of being reluctant to change, we should embrace it with open arms and a receptive mind,” he said. “Instead of viewing change as the end of the road, view it as more of a bend in the path.”

“Your future will only be as good as you perceive it,” Petry added.

The senior class officers presented the senior class gift — landscaping and mulch for the inner courtyard at the high school.

The impact of each student’s time and actions, Townsend said, is evident in the 44 championships, the honors students and the number of National Merit commended students.

“Time is a resource, but patience is a virtue,” Townsend said, reminding students that standing still or taking the time to think is not time wasted.

He assured the Class of 2024 that they will not have all the answers, nor do they need to. He concluded his remarks with a quote from the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” he said. “Let’s go to work.”

Evelyn Davidson, ejwdavidson@gmail.com