Jefferson City High School graduated 625 seniors Sunday evening as leaders in the class honored those who helped them along the way, while acknowledging the bonds they have as classmates.
Valedictorian Meredith Manda said Jay Pride is a sense of family and "the love we have for each other."
She said some class members are already destined for great things, including "a future Indiana basketball star and an incredible actress who's going to MSU next year to dedicate her life to service.
"Despite all of our amazing talents, our real strength as a class lies in the love and support we show for each other," she said in a four-minute speech to the class. "This is what Jay Pride is."
"We have studied together, laughed together, sung our alma mater together," Manda said. But graduation is the last time they'll be together, she said.
"We'll be moving across town, across the state, across the county and around the world. And we'll be doing amazing things to positively impact our communities and the rest of the world."
But although the class will be apart physically, the tradition of Jay Pride will keep it together.
"I couldn't be more proud to call myself a Jaybird," Manda said. "And I know that no matter where we go or how old we get, we will always have a home and a family here at Jefferson City High School. We may no longer be JCHS students, but we will be Jaybirds forever. Because Jay Pride never dies."
Manda said the class couldn't have achieved their diplomas on their own. She thanked the teachers, saying: "You've instilled within us the knowledge and wisdom that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. You've pushed us to pursue our passions.
The parents of the students have "taught us the definition of selflessness" as well as to "never give up." Siblings, other family and friends "have impacted us beyond words" with an essential support system.
Many family and friends of the graduates traveled far to come to Jefferson City, as evidenced by the number of out-of-state license plates.
Class President George Tharp told the senior class: "We all escaped the Mad Hatter's tea party that most people refer to as high school," he said. "We started from the bottom, and now we're here."
He said the class owes "nothing but gratitude to our parents, our friends and to our teachers, who have supported us through the good times and the bad. Who have encouraged us to give nothing but our best, and who have shaped us into the men and women that we are today."
Today, he said, is the day "we figure out that our dreams have no limitations."
Twenty-seven students qualified as salutatorians, with grade point averages of 4.0 or higher, while another 10 had GPAs of 3.95 to 3.99.
Thirty members of the class had 99 percent attendance rates, having attended class at least 700 out of 707 days possible.
The audience at Adkins Stadium gave a standing ovation when they announced the 27 graduates who plan to enter the military.
Other standouts included 98 students in the National Honor Society; seven in the Hispanic Honor Society; seven in the National German Honor Society; 10 in Tri M, the National Music Honor Society; and 21 on the student council.