J. R. Tucker HS graduation: 'Tucker is wherever you are, and you are Tucker'

A wave of blue gowns flooded the Richmond Raceway Thursday morning as J. R. Tucker High School celebrated its 57th commencement ceremony.

“Tucker’s in your heart… the heart of a tiger,” said Arthur Raymond, principal of Tucker, while looking fondly at the graduating class of 2021. “Thank you for sticking with it and for the willpower. There’s no doubt that you’re going to do great things because you have done great things.”

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Parker Aman, one of four Tucker valedictorians who spoke at the ceremony, told his classmates to appreciate what they had worked so hard to earn.

“Admire your work at the top of your rope and leave with no regrets,” he said. “Because you can't go back.”

Aman noted that seniors physically could not return to the Tucker they had known because the facility is being rebuilt, making it that much more important for graduates to savor the time they had left in the final hour of high school.

This sentiment was shared by other student speakers who emphasized the strength demonstrated by the class of 2021 in their last years of high school.

“There were moments when each of us was tired, stressed and lacked motivation to continue moving forward,” said Griffin Goodwin, the second of four valedictorians. “However, we've overcome every obstacle we faced, culminating in our triumphant walk across the stage today. As Tucker tigers, our perseverance in the face of adversity will surely pay dividends wherever life takes us.”

The academic efforts of the class of 2021 resulted in more than $10 million in scholarship awards, Raymond said.

Raymond said that the THS graduates had achieved one thing that not many people could: the ability to put “I graduated from high school during a pandemic” on their resumes.