Wynne, Arkansas – On Saturday night, the Wynne High School class of 2023 celebrated their graduation.
The incident happened after a tornado on March 31 demolished the school. It was a day that many people were unaware would ever arrive.
“Just to be here today is a blessing in itself because, you know, I actually thought they would just pass out the diplomas and just call it quits, but here we are today,” said Kim Smith.
Tyriona Davis, a graduate who lost her house in the tornado and is a cousin of Kim Smith, walked the stage today with her diploma.
Many of Wynne’s kids can relate to Davis’ situation.
The class of 2023’s tenacity was mentioned in the commencement speech by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“You’re not just an inspiration to your community; you’re an inspiration to the entire state of Arkansas,” Sanders said.
Since the disaster on March 31, Huckabee Sanders has twice visited the school. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Moore emphasized the significance of her attendance at the graduation.
“I think it shows how much she cares about our kids and about public education and seeing our students graduate, and so we’re very excited, and we don’t have the words to tell her how thankful we truly are,” he said.
The graduation was an hour away from home, the roughly 200 graduates had to relocate to a college campus to pursue their education, and their prom was hosted in a separate county, but the moment was priceless.
“Each child should experience, you know, walking across the stage and getting their diplomas so my hat goes off to the school,” said Smith.