Lassiter graduates told to ‘throw yourself into that dream’

Some severe weather delayed their graduations, so Lassiter High School’s Class of 2026 got to spend some extra last time together on Thursday.

The start of commencement was delayed by more than an hour due to thunderstorms at the Kennesaw State University campus, pausing assembly of the 485-student senior class and movement by guests and staff outdoors and between buildings.

“Because the district does not control the venue and the facility was not designed to accommodate graduations, students and staff must stage in a separate building detached from the ceremony space due to limited capacity onsite,” the Cobb County School District told East Cobb News in a statement.

“When weather conditions worsen, there is no protected way for students, staff, and families to move safely from one location to another, which contributed to the delay.”

Inside the KSU Convocation Center, Lassiter principal Chris Richie thanked everyone for their patience, and rattled off a long list of accomplishments for a class of which 90 percent is college-bound.

That includes four National Merit Scholarship finalists and more than $11 million in college scholarship finding, excluding the Georgia HOPE program, as well as a variety of artistic, athletic and military accomplishments.

Salutatorian Chloe Cummings said the intangibles are what makes this class special, saying their legacy will be determined not by grade-point averages and honors but “by the kind of people we’ve become.

“The world needs good people, people with compassion and discipline. . . This class is full of those kinds of people.”

Richie said as ninth graders, he “saw you as a class that was full of potential. I hoped that you’d find something to be passionate about and find the power of your voice.

“I’m proud to see that dream fulfilled.”

Taking their aspirations into the larger world was the subject of remarks by Valedictorian Evan Buchanan.

“I’ve found that the pursuit of a dream is a truly beautiful endeavor,” said Buchanan, who will be studying aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech.

Whatever you decide to do, Buchanan told his classmates, “throw yourself into that dream.”

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