By Heather Michon, Editor
Fluvanna County High School’s Class of 2026 closed out its high school careers Friday night with a few nerves, a lot of humor, and an unexpected life lesson involving rats.
The ceremony was moved indoors as persistent rain fell over the region throughout the day, but it did little to dampen the spirits of roughly 300 graduates and their families.
Throughout the two-hour event, graduates were reminded that their next steps will not all look the same. Some are headed to college, others to the military, the workforce or the trades. Some do not have a path quite yet.
“Whatever path you take, walk into it with confidence and humility,” Principal Margo Bruce said. “Never forget where you came from. Never forget the people who helped get you here, and never stop believing that your life can make an impact.”
Bruce added: “Class of 2026, this is your time to dream big, to work hard, to stay humble, and go change the world.”
This year’s graduating class earned more than $3.1 million in scholarships, but the speeches focused less on awards and more on how students should carry themselves after graduation.
Salutatorian Gabriel Rhea spoke frankly about the pressure young people face in a world shaped by the unrealistic expectations of social media.
“We can’t live life hung up on success, or it’ll kill us,” he said. “Instead, we need to look for the beauty in life itself.”
Valedictorian Andrew Jamison took a more unconventional route.
“Bear with me,” he said. “We’re going to talk about rats.”
Jamison described an experiment in Tennessee in which rats were given all the food, water, and shelter they could want.
“One would think that this would result in stoked rats that make so many rats that the streets of Nashville would be overrun with rats,” he said.
Instead, Jamison said, the rats were miserable because they lacked purpose.
“They were not having the opportunity to be rats,” he said.
His point was that people, like animals, need more than comfort. They need purpose, curiosity and the courage to try new things.
“There is only one way to find your purpose in life, to try everything you possibly can,” Jamison said.
Superintendent Peter Gretz echoed that message, urging graduates to be intentional about what they allow to shape them.
“What you pay attention to will shape what you care about,” he said. “And what you care about, well, that will shape who you become.”
After the diplomas were presented, the Class of 2026 turned their tassels and left as Fluvanna graduates: still figuring things out, but officially on their way.
