What's ahead for the Class of 2021?
This years high school senior class had some historic obstacles to endure in the final leg of its march to graduation; namely a global pandemic that brought with it lockdowns, cancellations, masks in the classroom and virtual learning. Patrick Henry Academy  Patrick Henry Academys Class of 2021 has college firmly in its sights. PHA held its Commencement Exercises on May 27, graduating 16 seniors who were lead by Valedictorian Brabham Gooding and Salutatorian Carter Laffitte. Both Gooding and Laffittee earned the Palmetto Life Scholarship. Of that senior class, these students were offered a total of 38 scholarships totaling more than $800,000. A total of 15 of those seniors will either be attending college or a technical school, and one has immediate plans to enter the workforce. Patrick Henry Academy is extremely proud of our seniors, said Anna Toney, PHA Administration. Because of their tremendous leadership and the wonderful example they set for our underclassmen by willingly adapting to all COVID-19 protocols, our school never closed and our students participated in sports all year, including competing for two state championships. We are especially thankful for this group of young people who took a difficult year and made it into something special.  Wade Hampton High School  Wade Hampton High School conducted its graduation ceremony on Friday night. With 129 graduates this year, WHHS Class of 2021 is exploring a variety of options. With this senior class earning more than $1 million in scholarships, to date 40 students have finalized their college plans, 13 have enrolled in technical colleges, and six have enlisted in some branch of the military service. The school also had 35 students participate in dual enrollment at either the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie or at the Technical College of the Lowcountry, many of whom have already earned enough college credits to be considered sophomores or higher in college. In addition, 65 students have earned some type of certification by completing one of WHHS Career and Technology programs. We are so proud of the class of 2021, said WHHS Guidance Counselor Bain Vaughn. The Wade Hampton staff understands that they went through two years of difficult change. Through those changes they have adapted well and persevered . The life skills they have learned throughout their journey at Wade Hampton have prepared them for the future. We cannot wait to see all of the great things they will do! Good Luck!  Vaughn said that the most popular career field choices for todays seniors include the health sciences, engineering, agriculture/forestry and education. Currently, the job market is at an all-time high, Vaughn added. It is the perfect time for our students to find their place in the world. There have never been more options with a wide variety of educational level qualifications. But with the ever-declining number of teachers in the state each year, especially in rural areas, educational careers are always in high demand.  Of this senior class, 68 students were academically eligible for the Palmetto LIFE or HOPE Scholarships funded by the S.C. Education Lottery. Those academically eligible as Palmetto Fellows included Alexis River Deloach, Shiv Vrajesh Patel, Fatimah J'Sonta Rivers, Zachery Louis Terry, with several other students potentially being eligible for the late award by June 15. Other notable scholarship recipients included:  Rotary Club Scholarship- Alexis Deloach  Low Country Ladies Scholarship- Fatimah Rivers  Low Country Community Foundation Scholarship- Christian Green  Palmetto State Bank Scholarship- Kelvin Cooler  Lucrecia C. Lester Memorial Scholarship- Christian Green  Kell Grant Memorial Scholarship- Tyshawn Shaw  Johnny & Avery Maloney Diabetes Foundation- Roneshia Capers and Jalen White  Youth Entrepreneurship Award- Jalen White  Martin Luther King Award- Kelvin Cooler  Avery C Thompson Memorial Scholarship- Christian Green  CODE 92- DeJah Smith-Gross  Hampton County Chamber of Commerce- Ryan Vincent  Brunson's Lions Club- Ryan Vincent  Estill High School  Estill High School will hold its Commencement Exercises this Friday, June 18. Read more about the EHS Class of 2021 in next weeks Guardian.