Pomp and circ*mstances: For Guilford's Class of 2024, time to turn the page

GREENSBORO — Today marks the final day of graduation for Guilford County Schools. More than 5,000 seniors are receiving their diplomas from the district.

"They started high school in one of the most disruptive times in our country," Superintendent Whitney Oakley recalled. "On top of typical angst associated with going to high school, these students had the added stress of learning at home during their freshman year in the COVID-19 pandemic. This class has faced unimaginable challenges and has persevered."

Students in the graduating class pursued a wide variety of academic paths during their time in high school.

For graduate Bailee Wright, that included taking part in the AP Capstone Program and the Drone Technology Pathway at Western High School — both relevant to her interests and passions.

So on one hand, with Drone Technology, she was learning to fly a drone and getting to show off her skills to wonder-struck elementary students. On the other, with the AP Capstone program,Wright was learning how to read and analyze research on topics of her choice, such as regenerative medicine.

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Now she's planning on pursuing a major at the intersection of medicine and technology.

"Gaining exposure to both of these unique magnet programs has greatly influenced my decision to major in biomedical engineering at Duke University," she said. "Within this career path, I intend to make biomedical devices more effective while decreasing risk of complications during and after implementation."

Pomp and circ*mstances: For Guilford's Class of 2024, time to turn the page — and tassels (1)

Northwest High graduate Stefan Scalco said business and economics were the high school classes that had the biggest impacts on him. "Just teaching me, I guess, more of how the economy works and how to save money," he said.

For Scalco, who held a part-time job at the Well-Spring retirement community during high school, putting that into practice has included starting a savings account and working to pay off the credit card his parents got him.

He explained that taking part in those classes, and thinking about money and saving, was also a big factor in his decision to join the Guilford Apprenticeship Partners program. Scalco expects to begin working as a technician with a company later this month. He'll be exploring his interest in electrical engineering while taking courses relevant to his apprenticeship at GTCC.

"I knew that I didn't want a lot of college debt," he said, add that this choice will save him money. "And it will teach me a lot of life lessons of how to work, how to be a leader and just get me started."

At Southern High School, Sofia Mahmood learned everything from CPR to beside manner as part of the district's first Emergency Medical Technician training program. Medication administration, she said, turned out to be one of her favorite aspects to learn— and a real challenge.

"I couldn't get the needle to suck up the medicine I needed and I kept having air bubbles," said Mahmood, remembering the experience fondly.

During her time in high school, she gained certifications, first as an emergency medical responder, and most recently as an EMT. And she moved from just practicing in the classroom with mannequins to riding along with Guilford County EMS for four 12-hour shifts. That meant not just watching, but also being asked to "grab this" during real emergencies.

"Essentially, it's just learning that there's so much more outside of high school, like this is someone's life,"Mahmood said.

She is planning to attend Guilford College and study forensic biology while also working as an EMT.

"I'm still deciding whether to immerse myself in the crime scene investigation branch or attend medical school to become a medical examiner," she said. "However, I'm open to whatever God has in store for me."

Mahmood's teacher, Briton Wertz, has three seniors graduating — all part of this first group learning about EMTs in high school.

"There's been a lot of growing pains, but we've done it together," Wertz said. "We're a family. So there's going to be a lot of tears at graduation."