Award-winning education story about the graduating class of the seventh-largest school district in North Carolina.

1. A
bout 3,000 graduates
across the county
moved their tassels
from the right side of their
mortarboard to the left,
before tossing their caps into
the air last week.
At Monroe High School’s
graduation English Teacher
Jonathan Harbin encouraged
students to think about their
end goal and ask themselves
if they are getting what
they wanted from this life,
to call themselves beloved
and to feel beloved on this
earth, quoting the late poet
Raymond Carver.
“Do not take your
accomplishments lightly,”
Harbin said.
Though he joked that
everyone in the room,
including the infants and
toddlers was more qualified
to give them advice than
he was, he challenged the
students to ignore the limits
other people will place
on them, figure out what
matters most to them and
give everything away.
Harbin said he was
offended when other people
talk about Monroe High
School as a low-performing
school or how they would not
send their children there.
“Exceed the stereotypes
that others
attach to
us,” he said.
Harbin
also told the
students
to “give
everything
away.” He
challenged
them to give and risk
everything for others and
to ignore people who say
they should think about
themselves.
He reminded the
graduates about earlier this
year, when the students of
Monroe High School gave up
their lunch money to raise
money for an English teacher
so she could donate a kidney
to her husband. He told the
students to live that way for
the rest of their lives.
Harbin said he likes to
give away food and one of his
favorite foods to give away is
Pop-Tarts because there are
two in a package. In addition
to their diplomas, every
graduate received a packet
of Pop-Tarts to remind
themselves to give to others.
Senior Bria Janese Roddy
reminded a classmate that
once you are a Redhawk,
you are always a Redhawk
and told them to strive for
greatness.
Superintendent Mary
Ellis echoed her sentiments
in a statement, encouraging
the new graduates to spread
their wings.
SEE CLASS/PAGE A5
+
ADAMCZYK
HONORED
SunValley catcher named
SCC player of year
SPORTS, Page B1
enquirerjournal.com$1.50
Astrology..............................C4
Births.....................................C4
Classifieds......................... B6-8
Comics............................ Insert
Coming Events.................... A4
Dinner Diva..........................C1
Dorothy Moloney............... A8
Police Beat........................... B4
Sports................................ B1-3
Thought of Day................... A6
Viewpoints.........................A6-7
BEST WISHES TO …
Best wishes are extended to everyone
who is celebrating a birthday today,
especially: Keith Steare, Jeffrey McNeish,
JohnWard, Nate Dixon, MarilynTurner
and Arlie Rushing.
Bestwishesalsoareextendedtoeveryone
celebratingabirthdayMonday,especially:
JoshuaHoller,LoriStarnes,MaxEdwards,
LloydRatliff,KevinStover,VictoriaMurray,
DustinAshcraft,JeffTurner,Kenneth
ClyburnandDonR.Edwards.
Bestwishesalsoareextendedtoeveryone
celebratingabirthdayTuesday,especially:
MicheleSidor,SandraM.Stokes,Rose-
maryBritt,JasonThomas,TaylorNunn,
TonyMaye,CarolSnead,ChristyHollis,
LindaH.AlexanderandLukeHelms.
Add your names to the birthday list
by calling 704-261-2278 or emailing
birthdays@theej.com at least 48 hours
in advance of publication.
our
nquirerE
J
The
nalMonroe’s newspaper since 1873
Information you need to know
before you leave the house.BASICSBASICS
THE
Weather
Today’s
full report on
Page A2
Get up-to-the-minute updates at
www.enquirerjournal.com.
Mostly Sunny
HIGH: 96
LOW: 72
42
Most bears have 42 teeth, which is
about 10 more than people have.
A bear’s canines can reach 1.5
inches long, while a human’s are
less than a half inch long.
A number to know
1775:The United States Army was founded.
1777:The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and
Stripes as the official flag of the U.S.
1922:Warren Harding became the first president to be heard
on the radio.
1940: German troops entered Paris.The Nazis opened the
Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
1951:The first commercial computer, Univac I, was unveiled.
1954: President Eisenhower signed the order inserting the
words“under God”into the Pledge of Allegiance.
Today in history
INDEX
COMING UP
Coming
Wednesday
Japanese beetles
are the kings
of insect enemies
of gardeners.
BEST PRICES FOR GAS
On the E-J website
Visit our website at www.enquirer
journal.com to find out who has the
cheapest gas in Union County.
IN TODAY’S PAPER
OBITUARIES
Robert Dumas | Midland
Fred Hall | Monroe
Libby Hargett | Marshville
Debra Delois Huey | Monroe
Vera Martin | Monroe
Selena Oakley | Monroe
John Martin Parker | Monroe
LenwoodVinson | Stanfield
PAGE A4
Never again
Holocaust exhibit created
to preserve memory of genocide.
PAGE C1
Dinner Diva
Seven tips to make tastier
grilled vegetables.
PAGE C1
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015 • PVFD ADDS TARGETS TO ITS LAWSUIT. A3
Below are estimates from
each school profiling the class
of 2015. About 3,200 graduates
from Union County Public
Schools and Union Academy
received roughly $110 million in
scholarship money. Across the
county, roughly 1,717 gradutes
will attend a four-year college
and about 867 students will
study at a two-year college.
About 98 students are enlisting
in the military after graduation
and about 186 graduates are
entering the workforce.
CentralAcademyof
TechnologyandArts
Graduates:211
Attendafour-yearschool:149
Attendatwo-yearschool:52
Entertheworkforce:6
Jointhemilitary:4
Scholarshipsawarded:206
Valueofscholarships:
$6,337,549.72
K-12perfectattendance:
HannahNicoleEchols,Lauren
CamilleEchols,LayneAnn
Johnston,AlexisVictoriaNieves,
CharlesAnthonyTillmanand
MatthewJamesWhite
CuthbertsonHighSchool
Graduates:343
Attendafour-yearschool:246
Attendatwo-yearschool:76
Entertheworkforce:13
Jointhemilitary: 8
Scholarshipsawarded: 252
Valueofscholarships:
$12,286,715
ForestHillsHighSchool
Graduates:178
Attendafour-yearschool:71
Attendatwo-yearschool:74
Entertheworkforce:19
Jointhemilitary:14
Scholarshipsawarded:112
Valueofscholarships:$3,939,094
MarvinRidge
HighSchool
Graduates: 371
Attendafour-yearschool:330
Attendatwo-yearschool: 38
Entertheworkforce:1
Jointhemilitary:2
Scholarshipsawarded: 390
Valueofscholarships:
$21,989,736
MonroeHighSchool
Graduates:180
Attendafour-yearschool:40
Attendatwo-yearschool:78
Entertheworkforce:52
Jointhemilitary:10
Scholarshipsawarded:75
Valueofscholarships:
$2,640,773
ParkwoodHighSchool
Graduates:214
Attendafour-yearschool:107
Attendatwo-yearschool:72
Entertheworkforce:23
Jointhemilitary:12
Scholarshipsawarded:98
Valueofscholarships:
$4,107,663
K-12PerfectAttendance:
Savannah Hargett
PiedmontHighSchool
Graduates: 252
Attend a four-year school:
105
Attend a two-year school:
102
Enter the workforce: 31
Join the military: 14
Scholarships awarded: 529
Value of scholarships:
$22,587,477
K-12 Perfect Attendance:
John Jenkins
PorterRidge
HighSchool
Graduates: 330
Attendafour-yearschool:157
Attendatwo-yearschool:147
Entertheworkforce:22
Jointhemilitary:4
Scholarshipsawarded:110
Valueofscholarships:
$6,068,668
SunValleyHighSchool
Graduates: 293
Attendafour-yearschool: 105
Attendatwo-yearschool:127
Entertheworkforce: 11
Jointhemilitary:16
Scholarshipsawarded:103
Valueofscholarships:
$4,014,238
UnionCounty
EarlyCollege
Graduates: 72
Graduatesreceivingassociate’s
degrees:48
Attendafour-yearschool:44
Attendatwo-yearschool:14
Entertheworkforce:2
Jointhemilitary:5
Scholarshipsawarded:53
Valueofscholarships:$2,358,800
WeddingtonHighSchool
Graduates: 354
Attendafour-yearschool:289
Attendatwo-yearschool:52
Entertheworkforce:5
Jointhemilitary: 8
Scholarshipsawarded: 531
Valueofscholarships:
$18,548,314
UnionAcademy
Graduates: 111
Attendafour-yearschool:74
Attendatwo-yearschool:35
Entertheworkforce:1
Jointhemilitary:1
Scholarshipsawarded:NA
Valueofscholarships:
$4,685,400
WolfeSchool
Natasha Angelica Baker
Jordan Robinson Case
Cleodis Davis III
Carrie Lynne Hudson
Justin Edward Lafata
Leigh Ellen McLaughlin
Kendall Sean Polk
Benjamin Robert Shaw
Chaz Antonio Smith
Joseph CarlWhite
Yunilka Espino
Class of 2015 graduates 3,000
BY CAROLYN STEEVES
CSTEEVES@THEEJ.COM
A student at Central Academy of Technology and Arts receives a hug from an administrator after
receiving her diploma.
NOWWHAT?
“Exceedthe
stereotypes
thatothers
attachtous.”
—Jonathan
Harbin