Vincent’s class of 2025 prepares to redefine legacy, celebrates graduation
Published 3:30 pm Wednesday, May 21, 2025
The Vincent Middle High School class of 2025 celebrated the legacy they have and are continuing to build during their graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 20 at Vincent Middle High School. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)
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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer
VINCENT – As the sun began to make its descent towards the western horizon, the Vincent graduating class of 2025 sat on their school’s football field taking in their final moments as Yellow Jackets, but also thinking ahead to what was ahead of them.
No matter what emotions each student felt though, whether it was excitement, sadness, exuberance or nervousness for the future, one thing felt evident—that the town they grew up in had prepared them for this time, something valedictorian Ella Fields reminded her classmates of.
“We never grew up anonymous in Vincent,” Fields said. “We grew up known. We grew up loved and supported. This town didn’t just raise bright, young adults. It raised neighbors, friends, family to lead and guide you.”
The support the seniors gained over the years stemmed from legacy, something not always entirely visible to the naked eye. With the tight connection that families in Vincent hold with one another, legacy is in everyone’s DNA, and that is no different for the 2025 graduates.
“Growing up in our small town, I’ve learned that legacy isn’t necessarily something you’ve carved in stone,” Fields said. “Legacy is something you leave in the hearts of the people around you. It’s baked into church potlucks, echoed in late-night study calls and painted onto every banner someone in town made for a celebration or a big game.”
Fields touched on how legacy was what got she and her classmates to this point, referencing Proverbs 27:17 in a strong manner. Now, as they move on, they will carry that legacy to help shape the next generation, whether that be in Vincent or beyond.
“We have been sharpening one another since the first day of kindergarten—pushing, supporting and shaping each other into the people we are now,” Fields said. “That is the kind of legacy we leave behind, and it’s the kind we will carry with us.”
As the deep bond that each of 73 seniors had was being celebrated, words from those associated with the school spoke words of motivation, reflection and advice on how the Yellow Jackets could change the world as they go their separate ways.
Principal Lauren Yancey reflected on all of the core qualities the senior class carried throughout their time at the school, emphasizing that they’ll always be passionate about what they do.
“As I was reflecting on tonight’s graduation and thinking about what I wanted to say, I kept thinking of all the different gifts that this particular class possesses—talent, brains, athleticism, charisma,” Yancey said. “But there was one phrase that just kept jumping out at me. They possess heart. Everything they do, they do with an extreme commitment and tenacity and dedication they can only describe as coming from the heart.”
Salutatorian Aiden Poe reflected on the past and looked forward to the future during his speech, but in keeping with the theme of family and legacy, took the time to share answers from an interview he did with some classmates instead of talk about his own experience.
Poe asked students about some of the faculty and staff members that left an incredible impact on their time at VMHS, letting them describe the experience they had with them. Seniors recognized those like Sergeant Tim Gilbert, who served as a father figure to one student, Holly Dover, whose care for everyone resonated, Mary Young, who became a support system for every student and Mary Marbut who helps her students inside and outside of the classroom.
Poe also asked his classmates what lessons they have learned and how they’ve grown, to which he received responses from one growing into the man he wanted to be and admiring how the teachers carry themselves, to another realizing how not everyone can be judged off of their appearance alone.
Then, when talking about the future and closing out his remarks, Poe stated that while it was common for salutatorians to talk about the past and their high school experience, he could not help but look towards what his classmates will do in the future and encourage everyone to chase their dreams.
“To the class of 2025 and anyone else listening that feels like they’re stuck, don’t feel like you have to listen to someone’s advice, live out their dreams or carry their burdens,” Poe said. “Ask yourself what it is you want to do, and when you ask yourself truly, live the question. Don’t try to be ambivalent because giving full effort seems corny. Be enthusiastic in your endeavors and become the best version of yourself. Every day and night, live your life’s questions, and the answers will spring from you.”
Counselor Jordan Robbins also talked about taking on the real world with confidence, discussing the concept of fear while encouraging all of the seniors to just make the step forward.
“The people who make differences in this world, who build the lives they’re proud of, aren’t the ones who never feel fer, they’re the ones who move forward in spite of fear,” Robbins said. “Failure hurts for a little while, but regret lasts for a lifetime. Remember, you don’t have to have it all figured out today, you just have to be brave enough to take the next step.”
Fields shared that sentiment in the closing of her speech as she talked about how her classmates should make the most of the time they have to pour into Vincent and continue building on their existing legacy.
“Time doesn’t wait for any of us, it slips by in these quiet moments of love and support,” Fields said. “What gives that time meaning isn’t how far we came or how many A’s we received, it’s how we impacted the lives of every single person in this community.”
Before the Vincent class of 2025 sang the alma mater with arms around each other, Fields left the seniors with one challenge, which was take advantage of each day in life, making the world better by influencing someone’s life in a positive way and showing it what being a Yellow Jacket is all about.
“Legacy isn’t about racing the clock,” Fields said. “Each moment matters. Each moment is an opportunity to influence someone’s life. I challenge the class of 2025 to seize the day. Take our legacy, what our town has taught us and share it with world… In the end, the best thing we can leave behind is a little more light in the lives we touched.”
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