Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations: Ashley Chapel graduates senior class

HAMLET — The water bound backdrop of the Richmond Community College amphitheater was a fitting location for this year’s Ashley Chapel Educational Center graduation. The sun setting on the lake imbued a shimmering light on graduates as the sun set on their high school careers.

Caleb Boulware, known to students as Mr. B., delivered a heartfelt invocation, illustrating how special this year’s graduates are.

“Their colorful personalities have put the rich in Richmond County, likewise our lives have become more enriched by knowing them,” he said.

“Graduation is not the end, it is the beginning, do what is right, not what is easy,” said Ashley Chapel principal Kevin Mabe.

Mabe, in his final address as the principal of the school before becoming the Dropout Prevention Coordinator for RCS, urged students to close their eyes and reflect on their academic careers and what brought them to Ashley Chapel.

“Do you remember your educational path; how did you end up in an alternative school? Maybe you started out smoothly. You had many different tests, many different trials. Sometimes it looked dim, sometimes you didn’t know if you were going to make it, but the good news is, you can open your eyes now. The good news is you made it, here you are — very proud of you,” Mabe exclaimed.

Mabe highlighted three wishes for students and their future endeavors.

First, he wished for students to be safe. “If you get invited to an altercation, guess what, you don’t have to go, you don’t have to be there,” he said.

“My second wish is — be a blessing to everyone. You should do something positive for someone else every single day,” Mabe said. “Be happy, be safe, be happy, be a blessing, you have the right to be happy. Again, chase your dreams,” Mabe extolled.

“Education is the most powerful weapon in which you can change the world. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest…Instruction ends in the school room, but education lasts a lifetime; take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you will go.”

Mabe teared up as he swelled with pride for his graduating class. “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon,” he said.