Every high school graduation ceremony is noteworthy for marking both a definite end and a noteworthy beginning. For North Atlanta’s Class of 2025, group members started as eager freshmen, a little uncertain about what to make of their new school – and themselves – in fall 2021. They ended their successful runs as Warriors during a pomp and circumstance-filled ceremony on May 22. And in marching across the graduation stage in Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion they began their bold marches into lives of future accomplishments.
The Class of 2025, North Atlanta’s 35th graduating class, numbered 607 strong, a number that made graduates part of the school’s largest graduating class ever. Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson, serving in his first year as the district’s new leader, presided over the May 22 event. He was joined by North Atlanta Cluster Superintendent Curtis Douglass as well as Board Chair Erika Mitchell and Board Vice Chair Jennifer McDonald. For McDonald, the graduation ceremony went beyond professional duty as her son, Luke McDonald, was a member of North Atlanta’s Class of 25. North Atlanta Principal Angela Mitchell, conducting her first graduation ceremony since moving from interim principal status to the school’s permanent principal, was joined by other North Atlanta cluster principals to congratulate the graduates as they walked across the stage.
For the Class of 2025, the class valedictorian, the student with the highest cumulative grade point average, was Christian Satcher. The class salutatorian, the student with the second highest GPA, was Anna Beatriz Pinho. Both Satcher and Pinho will attend Georgia Tech. This year’s STAR student, the student with the highest score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, was Evan Dixon, who also will attend Georgia Tech. He named English-Language Arts teacher Deanna Hasty as this year’s STAR teacher.
In his valedictorian address, Satcher reminded his fellow graduates of their unique high school journeys, from a freshman year coming on the heels of a global pandemic to a senior year marked by the global rise of AI. Satcher urged his classmates to remember that their years in the 11 Stories equipped them for the skills to surmount all challenges that post-secondary education years will bring. “So, as you cross the stage today, don’t fear the unknown – prepare for it. Remember your lessons and be ready to learn from whatever comes next,” he said.
In her remarks, Pinho touched on a similar theme of adaptability in the face of future uncertainties. “Now, the world ahead of us seems to be spinning faster than ever, constantly changing,” she said. “While that may seem scary, I believe we’re ready. Not because we have all the answers, despite our teachers’ best efforts, but because we’ve learned how to ask the right questions.”
During the ceremony, both Principal Mitchell and 12th grade Assistant Principal Jill Stewart cited the names of noteworthy award recipients among senior class members. Lela Ganske, Joseph Nieves and Alfred Ponder were recognized as National Merit Scholars. Angel Wiley was recognized for his winning a Posse Scholarship, and he will use his four-year full-tuition scholarship to attend Boston University. The Most Outstanding IB Learners Awards went to Iridian Santiago and Kacey Walker. The Principal’s Cup Award, an award given by the school principal and that honors the students who best exemplifies the ideals of North Atlanta, went to Ella Sipe. The AJC Cup Award, named for overall academic excellence and noteworthy extra-curricular leadership and voted upon by the school faculty, went to Taylor So. The Warrior Scholar Athlete Award, which goes toward an exemplary varsity team captain who maintains a strong grade point average, went to Victoria Carlucci. Chase Linton and Charlotte Smith were named Cola-Cola Golden Helmet Award winners. Gabrielle Monplaisir received the Fine Arts Award. Sipe and Reis Holzworth received the Scholar-Athlete Award and Jannah Pierce and Elijah Pitts received the Coca-Cola Athletic Achievement Award. Sipe was also recognized for her full appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Class of 2025 will also be known for its academic accomplishments and class members will be attending some of the nation’s most prestigious private and public institutions. The classes’ academic prowess is ably illustrated by the fact that class members have been awarded more than $43 million in grants and scholarships for pursuance of their post-secondary educational goals.
For the event, graduate Samara Strother sang the National Anthem. Graduates Aria Brooks, Damayas Campbell and Kyndall Weathers led their fellow graduates in singing the class song, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles.
In an address to the Class of 2025, McDonald, the board’s vice chair, spoke about meaningful days in graduates’ lives, including an event as significant as their high school commencement. “And this is a particularly special day to me because this group of kids includes my own,” she said.
McDonald, who described herself as a North Atlanta “super fan,” reminded graduates of the accomplishments they had in their four years, achievements that can give all class members the assurances they need that they will achieve in the next stages of their lives. “All the years you spent working toward this, we wanted two things for you – that you would have the best possible experience at North Atlanta and also that you knew you’d be excellent in whatever you chose to do next. We know you’re going to leave us, and we’re going to be just fine. We’ll be okay because we know you leave us with such confidence. Class of 2025 you are very special and we’ve known it since the day we’ve met you.”
After McDonald’s speech, Carlucci and Wiley led their peers as they moved their tassels from the right to the left side of their mortarboard – to signify their new status as North Atlanta graduates. “It was such a big moment, one that made us all incredibly proud about what we’ve done, and about all the experiences and accomplishments we took on and did together,” said graduate Abrianna Heath. “But there also was some sadness because we knew our years as Warriors were now concluding. I just know this class is going to go out and so many incredible things.”
At the ceremony’s conclusion, it was Principal Mitchell who presented the school’s newest graduation class to a cheering audience that filled the venue. Parents and other family members were eager to embrace the newest graduates of the city’s biggest high school. The members of the Class of 2025 marched out of McCamish Pavilion on a sunny day in late-May, concluding one unforgettable life chapter only to begin new life chapters in a world they will make their own.
