DARLINGTON ,S.C.— Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology had its 26th commencement ceremony Thursday evening at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology Center. – Fifty-six seniors were awarded their diplomas by Principal Arlene Wallace. This will be Wallace’s last commencement before she retires.
Valedictorian Danny Yang, who will be attending Clemson University in the fall, gave a message of encouragement, hope, and triumph.
“It is impossible to believe that 12 years of school ends with the flip of a tassel,” Yang said. “Our high school experience was slightly different. COVID has truly changed how we have gone through this process. Although COVID took away many experiences from our sophomore and junior year, COVID taught us that we were resilient.”
“We are closing a new chapter and entering a new one,” he said. “The foundation that we received at Mayo High School will be an enduring legacy for the Class of ‘22.”
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In her closing remarks, Wallace reflected on the origin of the school.
“We are proud to celebrate 26 years of academic excellence,” Wallace said. “Darlington County School District opened the doors of this great school in August of 1996. The school was opened as a districtwide magnet school coming out of a desegregation court order with a STEM and college focus.”
Stephania Lenard, the new principal for the school year 2022-2023, participated in the ceremony. Wallace and Lenard embraced toward the end of the ceremony and Lenard got Wallace’s blessing as Wallace told the crowd, “She’s ready.”
Mayo High School graduates received $11.5 million in scholarships. They concluded the ceremony with a chant, “Hard Work, Pays off” — and it has.
The Morning News spoke to three seniors and asked them about their plans:
Brendan Davis said he will be attending Florence-Darlington Technical College to become an electrician.
Tyler Ford will be attending coastal Carolina University in the fall to major in education to become a teacher.
Alonte Franklin will be attending Midlands Technical College to become a mechanical engineer.
The class members are as follows:
Gloss