The Martinsville High School Class of 2025 graduated on Saturday, May 24. The ceremony featured remarks from Principal Ajamu Dixon and Superintendent Dr. Zeb Talley Jr., before two graduates addressed their peers.
“I’m blessed by being able to see you and talk to you. And I want to leave you with something because I’m always trying to encourage you and trying to make sure that you have what you need,” Dixon said.
“Jeremiah 29:11 says, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you. You are not to be harmed, nor will you face harm. The plans are for you to have hope and have a future.’ Martinsville, I want to tell you the future is bright.”
Dixon warned that students are constantly being sold something, and that smart technology has taken over the world. He encouraged them to seek wisdom and recognize their own intelligence.
“Don’t let yourself be seduced by spectacle. Yes, I want you to be open to learning new things and new ways of doing things, but never mistake flash for substance.
“Build something that lasts, not something that trends. I want you to understand that YouTube has all kinds of hacks on it, and you can find shortcuts to this and shortcuts to that. The best shortcut is showing up every day with integrity, humility, and persistence. Young people, there are no shortcuts. Success comes by working hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise, they’re trying to sell you something.”
Talley congratulated the class on their academic achievements.
“Our world is going crazy. It’s a different time. It really is a different breed, but class, you have academically broken records. You’ve helped us because again, this will be our ninth or 10th consecutive year being accredited.”
He reminded students they are gifted and not to let others take away from who they truly are.
“Yes, you and I know you may feel insignificant, but you’re not because you’ve been gifted. You’ve been gifted with brilliance; you’ve been gifted with opportunity.
“The only way we’re going to really have change in this country is if young people rise up and do what you know is right. And so, when you leave here to go to the military or to go to college or somewhere, I need you to make a difference. And I need you to keep the ideas that your wonderful parents have ingrained in you. You know right from wrong. You know what this society needs to look like,” Talley said, also encouraging students to consider staying in Martinsville and invest in the community.
Jyshir Plunkett was the first graduate to address the class.
“One day we’re walking into a new school for the first time, unsure, worried about fitting in and scared of getting sick. And now here we are, ending a wonderful chapter, looking back on everything that has brought us here.”
“Today, we stand here not just as individuals, but as family, shaped by every moment, challenge, and every lesson—not just from textbooks, but from each other and life itself. This year has also taught us to always have gratitude and to be very grateful for each other and what we can overcome together.”
Plunkett took a moment to honor two classmates who passed away.
“I would like to mention two very special people who are not physically here with us, but whose spirits lie here forever and will forever live on in our hearts — Azetta Sone’ Hairston and Antoine Marie Swanson, both of whom I’ve known almost my entire life. And to know them was to love them. There was never a dull moment in their presence, and they were so full of love, compassion, and joy even on their worst days. I couldn’t tell a time when they weren’t smiling or cracking jokes. At this time, I would like to personally have a moment of silence for them and to look back and reflect on their wonderful lives.”
Cassidy Dodson closed out the ceremony with a message about resilience and growth.
“This class feels like a family to me because of how much we’ve been through together, with the main one being COVID, which took away our eighth grade field trip—which I am still kind of upset about, but that’s okay,” she said.
Dodson spoke about the first time she failed a quiz and the support she received from her teacher.
“Today, I wanna talk about why our failures are the fuel to our futures. As a society, we view failure as something we should avoid at all costs. Yet, everyone in the stadium has either failed at something or even just not been fully satisfied with a performance of theirs. And yet, you all sit here, graduating with your failures and successes alike.”
“Proverbs 24:16 says, ‘For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.’ This tells us that even though we may fall several times, the most important thing to do is getting back up, and trying again.”
She reminded her fellow graduates that falling short does not mean they’ve failed in life.
“Life’s too short to be scared of messing up. Just make sure you mess up doing something awesome.”
