Huntington High graduates 372 seniors; students awarded $6.1 million in scholarships and two win service academy appointments

Huntington High School recognized 372 members of the class of 2025 at its commencement ceremony, where Principal Jody Cunningham said the graduating class has been awarded about $6,100,000 in scholarships and honored students for academic, athletic and career achievements.

The scholarship total was among the headline announcements at the ceremony. "Huntington High School class of 2025, as I said a little bit ago, has 372 graduating seniors. They should be proud because they've been awarded many individual scholarships totaling $6,100,000," Principal Jody Cunningham said during his remarks.

The ceremony also highlighted several high-profile individual recognitions. Claire Johnson was named a Yeager Scholar at Marshall University, a program that Cunningham described as a full-tuition award that includes room and board and international study components. Tristan Hornbuckle was cited as having been awarded admission to Marshall University's combined B.S./M.D. program. Kean McClure was noted for acceptance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Joseph Farrell was introduced as a recipient of the Stamps Presidential Scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Military service and academy appointments were also singled out. Cunningham read a list of seniors who have committed to military service and named two students who received academy appointments: Keegan Sack to the U.S. Air Force Academy and Chloe Smalley to the U.S. Naval Academy. "They will be joining and protecting our country, and we thank them," Cunningham said when announcing the students called for military recognition.

The program honored advanced-placement and career-technical achievements. Cunningham described the AP Rising Scholar awards and distinctions, noting students who scored 3 or higher on multiple AP exams and those who earned higher average scores. The school also recognized students who earned the governor's workforce credential, a credential the principal said places recipients in the top 2% of career-and-technical education students in the state.

Student leaders delivered addresses. Fletcher Miller, senior class president, told classmates they had persevered through high school’s challenges and urged them to carry their "grit, humor, and heart" forward. "We may be stepping out of this world ... but we're heading to this world ready to build, lead, fly, and maybe just even take a nap first," Miller said. Salutatorian Joseph Farrell urged graduates to keep learning after success and to bring opportunities back to their community. Valedictorian Kean McClure recalled a student-led protest as an example of civic engagement and encouraged classmates to continue using their voices.

Superintendent Tim Hardesty told graduates the district was proud of their accomplishment and said each member of the class had met the graduation requirements of Huntington High School, the Cabell County Board of Education and the West Virginia Department of Education. "On behalf of the entire school district, it is my honor to congratulate each and every one of you for this incredible achievement," Hardesty said.

Board of Education President Joshua Pauley offered the board’s congratulations and noted the class had met requirements set by the district and the state. The ceremony concluded with the formal presentation of the graduating class and music led by the school band.

The program included a roll call of graduates and multiple recognitions for honors-program completers, AP and career-technical award recipients, athletic signees and other distinctions. The principal and district leaders emphasized both individual accomplishments and the collective achievements of the class.