The strength and growth of any city rests on its youth, and this year hundreds of students will graduate from the four high schools in Vicksburg. On Saturday, Porters Chapel Academy kicked off the honors, graduating 28 seniors. The ceremony was held at the Vicksburg Auditorium and Pam Wilbanks, the school’s headmaster said, “These students have truly been an asset to our school.”

Valedictorian Josh Arias described his class as the greatest people he had ever known.

“I will forever be grateful to God that he placed these people in my life,” Arias said.

During the ceremony, salutatorian Cody Lyons encouraged his fellow graduates to keep their options open.

“Whatever your course is, remember — it’s not the final course; it’s not written in stone,” Lyons said. “It’s open to opportunity. The world is full of opportunities, and I encourage you to examine each and every one of them. Find your own path and don’t look back. God will provide us with the guidance that will lead us in the right direction, he said.”

On Thursday, some of the seniors who attended Bowmar Elementary returned to the school wearing their regalia in an effort to inspire the young students. The high school students walked the halls and slapped hands and high fived the elementary students while also getting hugs and congratulations from their former elementary teachers and faculty. Carolyn Bradley, a sixth-grade teacher at Bowmar was seen wiping away tears as the former Bowmar Elementary students and high school seniors left a classroom during the graduate walk-through down the halls of the school.

Graduation ceremonies for Vicksburg High School will be held at 3 and 7 p.m. Thursday at the Vicksburg Convention Center and Warren Central’s graduation to follow on Friday at 3 and 7 p.m. at the convention center. St. Aloysius High School’s graduation will be at 9 a.m. at the Vicksburg City Auditorium.

4On Monday, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen took the final step toward a sports complex for Vicksburg, authorizing Mayor George Flaggs Jr. to sign an operation and maintenance agreement with Sports Force Parks Vicksburg.

4Work on a new splash pad at Catfish Row is under way. South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour said, “We will have a splash pad sometime this summer.”