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PHOTOS: Alexandria City High School’s largest-ever class graduates at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

By James Cullum
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It wasn’t just raining outside today. Tears of happiness streamed from students, parents, educators, and city leaders as 984 Alexandria City High School seniors graduated at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena. That’s the largest graduating class in ACHS history.

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt told the students that now is the time for them to harness their potential, creativity, brilliance, and resilience.

“Don’t just move forward,” Kay-Wyatt said. “Move forward with purpose.”

Katie Bernal Barrera reminded the audience that the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on her and her fellow students.

“We’ve all experienced setbacks, especially in the years leading up to high school,” Barrera said. “When two years of our life and education were lost due to the pandemic, we had to adapt… But through these struggles, we proved what it takes to be visionaries in today’s world.”

ACHS Executive Principal Alexander Duncan III said that the diploma is more than just a piece of paper.

“It is a tool that will grant you access to obtain all the life and all the liberty and all the happiness that all who marched before you demanded that all of you receive, and that, Titans, is a power that after today no one can give you, and no one can take away,” Duncan said. “Next to determination and hard work, the greatest trait that any successful person can ever cultivate is self control, your ability to control yourself, to let go of unhealthy behaviors, your conscious choice to separate yourself from shiftless relationships, and your deliberate choice to turn away from self-defeating thoughts and ideas will be the secret that unlocks your promise and unleashes your potential.”

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.