Spring Valley class members say they took rocky road to graduation

Related:

• Gallery: Spring Valley Commencement

HUNTINGTON -- Students at Spring Valley High School have had their share of ups and downs in the past four years, but many in the group said they have a lot to look forward to as they graduated Tuesday.

The group celebrated their class one last time during graduation at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena on Tuesday evening.

Tyler Heck, 18, said he was excited about the future, but he would miss his alma mater, too.

"It was memorable. There were some tough times at the beginning," he said.

Heck recalled a rocky start for the Spring Valley Class of 2009, as the school went through three principals in three years and lost two of its students in 2005 in a fatal automobile accident.

However, he said the group pushed on and was made up of many teens talented in both academics and sports. Heck plans to study sports management at Marshall University next year and may enter the ROTC.

The group of about 245 students is highly driven and many students will attend prestigious universities such as Stanford and Washington and Lee as well as in-state schools like Marshall and West Virginia University, according to high school counselor Jennifer Conley.

"They are an excellent class. We have some very bright students," she said.

She said the students also have a lot of personality and are goal-oriented.

Many students, including Katie Tanner, 18, and Billy Parsons, 17, already have college plans in place.

Parsons said Tuesday that he was ready to go for the fall. Parsons received a number of scholarships and ROTC awards to pay for tuition at Marshall, where he will study computer science. For him, high school graduation was just another day.

"I'm just going with the flow. School starts next year just like every other year," he said.

Parsons' mother, Janice Parsons, showed more enthusiasm, though.

Janice Parsons said the last couple of weeks were crazy, with prom, award ceremonies, banquets and graduation preparation.

"I'm very excited, happy and energetic," she said.

She said her son's father died when he was a boy, but he also would have been very proud of him Tuesday.

Tanner also has plans to go to Marshall. She said she will study nursing. On Tuesday, she was surrounded by family and friends snapping photos from all sides and presenting her with flowers.

Like many of the new graduates, Tanner said she felt a mixture of relief and sadness. Few of the students said they were worried about their future careers.

"I think it'll be OK in the medical field," Tanner said.

Heck said he wasn't worried either.

"I feel my education will get me where I need to be," he said.

Brittany Shannon, 18, said she was ready to move on to "bigger and better things," even though she knew leaving high school meant seeing some friends, especially those who were underclassmen, less.

Shannon also has been accepted to Marshall, and said she wants to train in phlebotomy. She said her senior project this year involved job shadowing a phlebotomist.

"I'm scared to get a career right now, but I'm sure I'll find something," she said.

Caitlin Rowe, 17, was one of many students who just wanted to put high school in the past.

"It's a relief just to not have to go into that building," she said.

While her summer plans include working part time, sleeping in and playing video games, she said she knows more years of school are just around the corner.

"I think it will really sink in once this is over with," she said Tuesday. "I'm sure this feeling of freedom won't last forever."

Chris Jackson/The Herald-Dispatch

Spring Valley High School graduate Julia Greenless is all smiles after she receives her diploma Tuesday, May 26, 2009, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.