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Douglas Byrd High School Class of 2025 awarded more than $2.5 million in scholarships at commencement
Summary
Douglas Byrd High School held its Class of 2025 commencement, where student speakers reflected on resilience and school leaders reported that graduates had earned more than $2.5 million in scholarships; the principal certified that students met Cumberland County Schools and North Carolina graduation requirements.
Douglas Byrd High School celebrated its Class of 2025 at a commencement ceremony where student speakers, school leaders and school board members gathered to honor graduates and report academic honors. School officials said members of the graduating class had received more than $2,500,000 in scholarships.
Student speaker Michael Rice Jr., a Douglas Byrd senior, reflected on the class’s shared experiences and outlook, saying, “Because of your solid belief in us, we are ready to turn the page to our next chapter.” Salutatorian Alexander de la Cruz and Valedictorian Javion Lamonte Taylor each urged classmates to continue working toward their goals; Taylor told the crowd, “This is our moment. We’ve made the final lap.” A musical selection was performed by Daja Duncan.
Why it matters: the scholarship total and the number of students earning academic distinctions were the ceremony’s chief data points, illustrating the class’s postgraduation opportunities and the school’s academic recognitions.
School officials provided counts and honors noted during the ceremony: 20 students wore National Honor Society stoles, 19 wore National Technical Honor Society cords, 12 seniors completed the state course requirements to be North Carolina Academic Scholars, three seniors graduated from the Academy of Finance, nine from the Academy of Green Technology, 22 students wore gold tassels on a white sash indicating a 3.75 weighted GPA or higher, and 26 students qualified as Douglas Byrd honor graduates with a 3.5 GPA or higher. The counseling department verified the scholarship total as “over $2,500,000 and counting.”
Attendees included members of the Cumberland County Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Marvin Conley Jr., and multiple central services leaders. The principal of Douglas Byrd High School certified that the listed students had met the graduation requirements set by Cumberland County Schools and the state of North Carolina, and declared the class of 2025 graduated. The principal then directed graduates to turn their tassels.
The ceremony presented both individual student remarks and schoolwide recognitions. Student speeches emphasized perseverance through the pandemic and the transition to postsecondary plans, while school staff focused on academic distinctions and scholarship totals. The diplomas and the formal presentation of graduates followed the certification.
For local families and community members, the reported scholarship total and the counts of students receiving honors provide an immediate measure of the class’s academic outcomes. The school and district will maintain records of individual scholarships and honors as part of student transcripts and commencement records.
