PHOTOS: Whitehouse High School Class of 2024 graduation

Published 5:40 am Sunday, May 26, 2024

“Good evening” speech introductions were swapped for “good morning” welcomes instead after Whitehouse High School’s graduation ceremony was rescheduled from Friday night to Saturday morning due to severe weather.

For the first attempt, the Class of 2024 walked out onto the field to “Pomp and Circumstance” at 6:45 p.m. before a 7 o’clock start Friday night. The ceremony had already been moved up from its originally scheduled time of 8 p.m. and started promptly, but only went on for 20 minutes before a lightning delay ultimately led to postponement.

The ceremony began again at 9 a.m. Saturday morning as more than 370 seniors walked out one more – and final – time under bright, sunny skies at Wildcat Stadium.

Salutatorian Audrey Brody and Valedictorian Charles Moore delivered hopeful and inspiring messages to their fellow graduating seniors. Both credited Whitehouse ISD for making their high school experience a special one.

Moore said he and his classmates could walk the halls of Whitehouse High blindfolded, knowing every turn and step to take next.

“But it’s not the building that makes it so hard to leave,” Moore said. “(It’s) saying goodbye to what those halls represent to us … to each other.”

While the graduates may know Whitehouse High School in and out, their next steps won’t be so straightforward or easy to predict, Moore said.

“We’ll head off into the maze of the world, mostly to completely different destinations,” Moore said. “… We’ll take a wrong turn or ultimately get lost.”

He said although they may fall, it’s these moments the graduates should turn to the supportive people in their lives and God, as He is “always there to point the way and catch us if we fall.”

Moore reflected back as the Class of 2024 began their high school career during the 2020 pandemic with masks over their faces, entering into the unknown. Now, they leave high school “with excitement” and “can only hope to be supported” in their adult lives in the same way they were at Whitehouse High School.

He and Brody expressed thanks to teachers, faculty and administration for making high school such a memorable, fun and educational experience for their class. It was “an unforgettable four years,” Moore said.

Families and friends showed up in droves, filling the bleachers to support their graduate(s). Some wore T-shirts with their graduate’s faces on them; others spewed confetti into the air or blew air horns. Several had their cell phones or cameras glued to their hands to capture each special moment of the once-in-a-lifetime experience for their child. Many flooded the field after the graduation ceremony concluded, bringing balloons, bouquets of flowers, and taking lots of photos to mark the special occasion. Friends hugged each other tight, knowing their days of being together every weekday have come to an end. Others took selfies and celebrated together as they get ready to embark on new beginnings.