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Hickory Ridge seniors reach major milestone
photo by James Nix
Hickory Ridge High School senior Jeremy Gardner.
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Published: June 12, 2009
This weekend, nearly 2,300 high school seniors from Cabarrus and southern Rowan counties will be awarded their dipolmas, a milestone marking years of hard work and the beginning of so many new challenges and opportunities, as students take another significant step toward adulthood.
Among those graduates, more than 200 will come from Hickory Ridge, which, as the area's newest high school, will celebrate its first class of graduates on Saturday.
As they prepared to leave their history books behind and make their own history as members of the class of 2009, several Hickory Ridge students reflected on their favorite memories and traditions, and offered their insight into what they hope will be the legacy their class leaves behind.
Brett Lilly
The Quarterback
What is your favorite memory from your time at Hickory Ridge?
"Friday nights. Football and friends. Here, it's more like a family setting than it was at Independence (High School). We stick together and hang out more. Even with the administration, it's more of a family setting. Everybody knows who's who and looks out for each other."
What tradition was started at the school that you most hope is carried forward?
"All the senior guys, for one football game, we skipped school and went to breakfast at Louis' Grill. Almost every single game, we ended up at Sonic after the game. And Ragin' Bulls jumping jacks. That's another tradition we started."
What is the legacy you hope the class of 2009 will be remembered for in the years to come?
"The hard work to build the base of the school. The hard work we put into the football team. Everybody did things to build a base for the school. We all put so much hard work in. That is probably what will stay."
Shirley Liu
The Academic
What is your favorite memory from your time at Hickory Ridge?
"Yearbook class, definately. It's the biggest thing I got involved with here. I wasn't going to do yearbook at first, but I got here and got involved and it's really what got me engrossed in everything at the school."
What tradition was started at the school that you most hope is carried forward?
"Yearbook parties. It felt like a family. I never got into sports or anything, so yearbook was really it — like a family."
What is the legacy you hope the class of 2009 will be remembered for in the years to come?
"The Smartboards. That's the first thing that comes to mind, really. We were the first school to have all these Smartboards. None of my friends had them at their schools, so that's really something that stands out."
JD Davis
The Leader
What is your favorite memory from your time at Hickory Ridge?
"I'm hoping it's going to be graduation, when we throw our hats in the air and kiss everything goodbye. The most fun I had so far was probably the pingpong tournament. I ended up winning and got the trophy that I pretty much made for myself. It was a lot of fun."
What tradition was started at the school that you most hope is carried forward?
"Pretty much everything we put together in leadership is going to be annual things. It's going to be a tradition. The thing that sums it up the most is probably the senior courtyard. We're not going to be around to enjoy it, but it's going to be around for years to come."
What is the legacy you hope the class of 2009 will be remembered for in the years to come?
"I want people to remember that a majority of our students — even though we were entirely different — could play sports, go to everything, make good grades and still have fun. It's basically everything you should do in high school, and we really made the most of the experience."
Jeremy Gardner
The Cornerstone
What is your favorite memory from your time at Hickory Ridge?
"Tearing down the walls. That was a memory people still talk about. It was a program about bringing kids together — mainly racially, but more than that, it was about bringing the Central kids together with the Robinson kids. Last year, that is all we were. This year we're Ragin' Bulls. That program really helped that."
What tradition was started at the school that you most hope is carried forward?
"The favorite tradition that I can remember... just the seniors sharing their pride in being seniors. We didn't do anything dramatic. You could just tell who was a senior."
What is the legacy you hope the class of 2009 will be remembered for in the years to come?
"I want others to remember all the things the senior class did for the school — from the first football game up to now, the first graduation. Everything that happened up to now, the class of 2009 was involved with. We set the standard."
Contact managing editor Jonathan E. Coleman: 704-789-9105.
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