BY DONNA SWICEGOOD

It was both a beginning and an end Thursday as the final graduates of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Virtual Academy received their diplomas.

The academy will close at the end of this current school year due to budget cuts approved by the I-SS Board of Education.

“As we close this chapter, today is a tribute and celebration,” said teacher Candace Hilton, who welcomed the graduates and their family and friends to the ceremony at the Unity Center on Thursday morning.

A total of 29 students made up the final class of graduates from the Virtual Academy, which was founded in response to the Covid pandemic.

Teacher Lauryn Johnson, speaking on behalf of Principal Yolanda Lindsay, said the Virtual Academy is a village. “We have a very strong community,” she said.

“You, the students, built a community,” she said. “You learned, connected. You showed the kind of discipline and resilience that will serve you far beyond this graduation day.”

Johnson said the Class of 2025 is ready for the next steps in their lives.

“This isn’t just the end of this school,” she said. “It is the beginning of your lives beyond here. The beginning of the stories you will write with your own voice, your own script.”

Johnson said the students will carry on the legacy of the Virtual Academy well beyond 2025.

“One day years from now someone will ask you where you graduated from high school. You’ll smile and say the I-SS Virtual Academy, and they may not recognize that name. But that’s okay. You will know. You will carry it. You will be the living memory of this place.”

Johnson closed out the message from Lindsay with some heartfelt advice.

“Make yourself indispensable to the world around you. Don’t wait for somebody to give you permission to make a difference.”

Marcus Webb, class speaker, said the new grads closing one chapter in their lives and celebrating their accomplishments.

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