‘Keep being brave’: Montevallo graduation ceremony commends class of 2025
Published 11:07 am Tuesday, May 20, 2025
The Montevallo High School class of 2025 crossed the stage and earned their diplomas during their graduation ceremony on Monday, May 19 at the McChesney Student Activity Center on the campus of the University of Montevallo. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines and Tracy Wood Franklin)
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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer
MONTEVALLO – Standing on the stage inside the McChesney Student Activity Center on the campus of the University of Montevallo on Monday, May 19, Montevallo High School Principal David Butts spoke into the microphone, delivering his first commencement speech in front of the school’s senior class.
While having only been at the school since he was appointed to the position in December 2024, Butts looked on at the class of 2025 as if he had known the students for their entire lives, preparing to send them off towards their next steps after high school.
“You’ve worked hard to get here,” Butts said. “You sat through early mornings, long tests and unexpected challenges, and you’ve come through with resilience and heart.”
Butts entered his position with 24 years of experience in public education and has learned a lot of lessons, making connections when they come about. He provided some of his wisdom to the senior class as they take on the world in front of them, connecting to a tune that he felt would be very inspiring.
“I want to offer you a few thoughts, not just from me, but from a song that speaks powerfully to life beyond the classroom,” Butts said. “Eric Church and his song ‘Some of It’ reminds us that not everything we need to know can be taught in school. He sings, ‘Some of it you learn the hard way, some of it you read on a page. Some of it comes from heartbreak, most of it comes with age.'”
The new leader related the lyrics to how the students still have a lot to learn, but offered up what he has seen in his life as advice for what the seniors can expect down the road.
“You’ve learned a lot here—how to solve equations, write essays, navigate friendships—but some of life’s most valuable lessons are still ahead of you,” Butts said. “You’ll learn about trust the hard way. You’ll learn about patience from waiting when nothing seems to be moving. You’ll learn about love, not just with stories, but from living it. You’ll learn that failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it. You’ll learn that being brave doesn’t mean never being afraid, it means showing up anyway. And you’ll learn that people around you, your relationships, matter more than any title or trophy.”
In a night filled with words of motivation from many, including from Montevallo Mayor Rusty Nix, who was a 1981 graduate of MHS. He encouraged the 113 graduating seniors to take on life with a sense of dependability, always striving to be a student and to be someone who can be a role model to others.
“No matter what you do, always be dependable,” Nix said. “You may not be the best student, you may not be the best employee, but you can always be dependable. I’ll take dependability over ability any day of the week and twice on Sunday because you can always be coached and trained, but you can’ coach the undependable.”
Salutatorian Kyra Cleckley kept with the theme of the night being a milestone for both her and her classmates, reflecting what all the past four years brought to them, including perseverance and challenges.
“High school is hard,” Cleckley said. “You deserve to be proud of yourself. As a freshman, you come into high school thinking you have all the time in the world, and then in the blink of an eye, it’s senior year. This year has been filled with waves of different emotions, from being scared to being excited, just wanting to get through the year—it’s a lot to handle. Though our time at MHS has taught us to persevere through difficult situations and grown us into better versions of ourselves, don’t look at graduation as closing a door, look at it as a chance to walk into new ones.”
Cleckley then spoke how she felt her class was going to be one to get things done in the world, and while she will not physically see them do it, she will be praying over their success for years to come.
“The class of 2025 will be one to get things done and make a change in our world,” Cleckley said. “Our time together has come to an end, but our memories will last forever. I look forward to seeing what great things you all accomplish in the future, and I’m rooting for you and praying for each one of your dreams to become a reality.”
Valedictorian Yan Shan Zou spoke of the fact that she hopes, despite the inevitable separation, that her classmates will find a feeling of confidence in everything they do, whether that be in their occupation or when they meet a fellow alumnus of MHS.
“No matter where you end up, what you think you want to do now or what you will end up doing years from now, take pride in it,” Zou said. “I hope that one day, when you’re crossing a busy street or eating at a restaurant and you lock eyes with a familiar face from high school, you meet them confidently, not as a stranger from your past but as someone proud of the life you’ve built.”
Butts followed with advice on how to achieve that in the closing remarks of his speech, inspiring the graduating academics to just keep going and keep persevering, because that’s exactly what they learned to do in their time of being a Montevallo Bulldog.
“Some of what you learned here at Montevallo High School—how to work with others, how to push through difficulty, how to speak up, how to listen—that’s the kind of learning that stays with you,” Butts said. “So as we move forward, whether it’s college, a job, the military or something else, don’t worry about having it all figured out, none of us do. Just keep learning, keep listening and keep being brave.”
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