Jackson Central-Merry High School holds final graduation
JACKSON, Tenn.– Hundreds of friends and family members filled the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the 152 seniors who received their diploma during Jackson Central-Merry Academy of Medical Technology’s final commencement ceremony.
“Today is going to be an emotional day for JCM. It’s their last graduation,” said Jamarius Johnson, a relative of a graduate. “So the graduates and the families are going to be taking it pretty hard.”
“JCM is an important part of our community,” JCM alumna Rachel VanHook said. “It’s in the heart of our city, and I think that the closing of JCM may be bittersweet.”
The class of 2016 valedictorian and salutatorian were given standing ovations for their heartfelt speeches.
“We are the last class of JCM, so let us be remembered for the change we are about to bring,” salutatorian Macylin Graves said.
“JCM will not end on May 18, but rather it will live on forever in our minds, our heart and in our words,” valedictorian Asmihan Mohamed Annamer said.
During the ceremony, an honorary degree was given to the father of JCM student Tyrone Sterling, who died in a house fire in 2014.
Although this final graduation was an emotional one for students and alumni, they say Saturday afternoon’s ceremony was a fitting celebration to commemorate JCM’s influence on Jackson.
“I was pleased to see the community come out the way they did,” said Cory Vann, president of JCM Alumni Association. “It was really a pleasure to see JCM represented for its last graduation how it was.”
“You see all four years go by and then your last year they say it’s going to be closed next year,” graduate Aaron Stone said. “It’s kind of like, ‘what? How does this happen?’ But you still leave with a smile on your face. You love the school even after it’s gone.”
“We are so proud of you, graduates of Jackson Central-Merry class of 2016. Congratulations,” Jackson-Madison County Superintendent Dr. Verna Ruffin said.
Before walking off the stage, the class of 2016 sang “Happy Birthday” to their principal, Dr. Charles Clark.
