From the Managing Editor's Desk: Congratulations to the Class of 2024

I started work for The Erwin Record, for a second time no less, in February of 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic.The Unicoi County High School Class of 2024 had entered into the high school phase of their education in the fall of 2020.They didn't actually enter the halls of the building, of course. We were still coping with the pandemic and their classes met through remote online learning, but by the spring of 2021, some glimmers of hope shone on the horizon with the arrival of reliable vaccines to combat the virus.So, I feel like I know this class. Not as much as they are known by their teachers, their coaches, their friends and their family, but I recognize the names of many of them from stories that have been published in The Erwin Record. From sports – football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field, cross country and volleyball – to the academic achievements of one member who has now landed a scholarship as a Roan Scholar and the soaring ambitions of another student who made his first solo flight as a high school senior, the class has a lot of accomplishments and achievements.My first four years at the newspaper have been intertwined with their high school careers. We've shared some of those stories with readers, but we've not told all their stories. These stories have included stage productions by students in the theatrical and dramatic arts and another artist using her talent to refurbish the welcome sign at the Unicoi County Care and Share. We've celebrated the achievements of Mock Trial team members and cosmetology students excelling at SkillsUSA competitions. We've highlighted the extracurricular endeavors of 4-H and FFA students, as well.Now, some of the responsibility for telling their stories falls to these exceptional graduates. Talented, resilient, exceptional are only a few words that could be used to describe them. They will shape their stories in ways we cannot even imagine, and I wish each and every member of the Class of 2024 the very best as they set about on that lifelong task.They're following in the footsteps of other talented classes before them. For instance, a UCHS graduate now at East Tennessee State University recently received the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship. We've seen Blue Devil graduates gain brushes with celebrity fame in such popular reality television series as "Survivor" and "The Bachelor." Another UCHS alumni recently received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild award.The sky's the limit for what each and every member of this class can achieve. They just need to believe. Some will dream big, some will dream quietly, but the important thing is that they dream.The Erwin Record is publishing its annual salute to the graduates of UCHS in this week's newspaper. Take a look at their photos and, should you pass them in your daily routine, congratulate them and wish them well.