The 540 members of Richmond Hill High School’s class of 2023 were urged to make their marks on the world during the school’s graduation ceremony Saturday at Glynn County Memorial Stadium in Brunswick. 

Valedictorian Amy Li, who is headed to Rice University to study bioscience and is an aspiring writer, reminded her classmates that time is fleeting and worrying doesn’t help before urging each of them to “become greater than you already are today. 

“Embrace being unafraid to try,” she said. “Pursue what you love, because passions can be hard to come by. Do something if your friend is hurting, you might change the world in the process, whether the world includes all the people you love, a patient, a student, someone who reads your poem on the internet, a random person on the street or yourself. So change the world.” 

Salutatorian Aiden Gray, a member of the school swim team, included in his speech a not-so-subtle reminder Bryan County doesn’t have a public swimming pool before telling the class of 2023 it was time to leave the “warm pool” for small children and swim in the wider world. 

Gray, who will attend Washington & Lee University and compete on the school’s swim team, recalled practicing at a swim club in Savannah as an 11-year-old. He said he swam with younger children because he was afraid to swim across drains between the warm pool and big pool until, at the urging of the late coach Walter Weed, he made the transition to the big pool and survived. 

“High school has been our warm pool,” Gray continued. “It’s at this moment we’re all being forced out into the big pool that is the real world.” 

Some, he said, have already taken the plunge, and other are ready to do so. But some might not be sure they’ll be able to make the transition.  

“Some of us are where I was all those years ago, scared of the all the big drains in the world. I can’t promise an easy road, nor can I provide any sage advice to guide you on this journey,” Gray said. “What I can say it’s time to make the leap.” 

Graduation started promptly at 9 a.m., and it took approximately 10 minutes for members of the school board, administrators, faculty and the graduates to file onto the field and take their seats on the artificial turf at Memorial Stadium. Richmond Hill’s JROTC color guard presented the colors and Austin Niles, class of 2023 vice president, led the national anthem before senior class president Madison Lanier welcomed the graduates and guests. 

Richmond Hill Principal Bivins Miller presented the class, and he and Bryan County School Board Chairwoman Amy Murphy greeted graduates as they crossed the stage.  

Other school board members attending were Vice Chairwoman Karen Krupp and Marianne Smith, and Bryan County Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Brooksher was also on stage to shake the hands of graduates.  

Occasionally, Smith and Krupp gave graduates hugs before they exited the stage. The school’s alma mater was performed by the RHHS senior chorus 

In all, the ceremony lasted roughly 90 minutes and took place before a stadium about three-quarters full. Bryan County Schools moved the ceremony to Brunswick in 2021 after holding graduation at the Civic Center in Savannah for a number of years because the school’s football stadium couldn’t hold all the family members who wanted to attend.  

Li concluded her remarks by telling her classmates not to settle for less than the best. 

“Don’t limit yourself by the threat of failure, by worrying, or letting your bones decay,” she said. “Become greater by leaving someone you cross paths with with a little more joy and hope. You all have brought me so much joy and hope in these past four years. I cannot wait to see the joy and hope you will all continue to share. Thanks for the memories, Class of 2023, and congratulations.” 

Before finishing his speech, Gray said the class was prepared to meet the challenges life would throw at them. 

“Every single graduate here has accomplished a great feat by receiving their diploma and has demonstrated that they are prepared for swimming with the big kids,” he said. “Fear not. Our time in high school was not wasted. The mentorships, friendships, and relationships we’ve all cultured these past four years don’t end today. While the challenges may be great and the times may be tough, we’re all swimming in the big pool together.” 

RHHS valedictorian speech Amy Li

Good morning and welcome everybody! I would like to first thank the RHHS administrators, teachers, and staff, whose passion and dedication has provided us with an incredible education and environment. And thank you to all the friends and family, whose love, support, and guidance has helped shape us into the people we’ve grown into. It is my honor to stand before you all today, as someone who has been blessed by the huge role you’ve played in my life and the lives of others over the past four years.

Now, to all the graduates — we’ve survived a lot these past four years. Not being able to find an open bathroom during a certain trend early last school year, not-so-great music choices at every school dance, and many, many days of school… but we’ve made it. And I’m sure you’re all as excited to graduate as I am, so I’ll leave you with a few quick pieces of advice, however potentially ill-informed they may be by my 17 years on this earth and what has been said to me over time.

We’re getting old. Time flies. Before you know it, your joints will be creaking and you’ll need plenty of calcium to keep your bones intact.

So, my first bit of advice is to drink milk! Well, don’t if you’re lactose intolerant.

My second bit of advice is to remember not to worry. Or if you must worry, because I know it’s impossible not to, remember that worrying is as ineffective as speeding to school at 7:31 in the morning, or that one hand dryer in the 100 hall girls’ bathroom (if you know, you know).

Like a lot of you probably have, I’ve spent a lot of time throughout my life worrying.

I nearly psyched myself out of taking difficult classes.

I didn’t think I was good enough to seriously pursue writing. I was scared to interview for my job at Starbucks.

In the end, though, taking difficult classes pushed me to learn and think in entirely new ways. The writing community and working as a barista led me to some of my closest friends. They have impacted me for the better, and I hope I have touched their lives in the same way.

Not allowing the possibility of failure to define me, whether within the smallest moments or the biggest decisions, has ultimately helped me grow into a better friend, student, and person than I’d ever imagined. So, my third and final tidbit of advice is to become greater than you already are today — which I believe can only be achieved by beginning or continuing to embrace chaos and imperfection and unpredictability.

Embrace being unafraid to try. Pursue what you love, because passions can be hard to come by. Do something if your friend is hurting.

You might change the world in the process — whether the world includes all the people you love, a patient, a student, someone who reads your poem on the internet, a random person on the street, or yourself. So, change the world. Don’t limit yourself by the threat of failure, by worrying, or letting your bones decay. Become greater by leaving someone you cross paths with with a little more joy and hope.

You all have brought me so much joy and hope in these past four years. I cannot wait to see the joy and hope you will all continue to share.

Thanks for the memories, Class of 2023, and congratulations!

RHHS salutatorian speech Aiden Gray

Distinguished guests, teachers, family, friends, and graduates, it’s my honor to address you as the class of 2023 salutatorian. I’d like to say that 4 years ago I never saw myself in this position, but to be honest, I didn’t know what a salutatorian was then. When I was informed of my position in the class, Mrs. Erin Turner’s first piece of advice was to tell a story in my speech. I thought back to the naïve days of biology with Mrs. Faith Fitzgerald. I reminisced on the early morning practices with Coach Michelle Girage. I relived the days of April Madness with Mrs. Sonya Compton. But what stood out the most goes back much further.

Since before I can remember, I’ve practiced with a club swim team at the Chatham County Aquatic Center.

While we’re all here, I’d be remiss to not remind everyone that there is no public pool in Bryan county. With that said, we have 2 pools at the aquatic center. The main lap pool – known as the big pool – and a smaller, recreational pool – known as the warm pool. When I was 11 years old, I was supposed to move into a group with the big kids in the big pool, but I delayed. Month after month, I continued practicing with the 9- and 10-year-olds in the warm pool.

Why, you may ask, was I so afraid to venture into a new group? Well, by its nature, the big pool had big drains which were quite honestly terrifying. Whether because of the risk of being sucked through or the chance of sharks emerging, I absolutely refused to swim over those terrible grates, so I kept ignoring the calls to move on.

This continued until one day, the late Coach Walter Weed pulled me aside. Coach Walt, as he was known, was a soft spoken but special man who cared deeply about each and every one of his swimmers.

He was surprised to see me and questioned why I was hiding. When I explained how I had been swimming with the littles, he was confused. In his matter-of-fact way, he simply asked, “Why?

You’re ready for the big pool.”

That simple statement of what I’d been avoiding encouraged me to make the transition to the big pool. And you know what? I swam over the drains and survived.

Now, if you’ll stay with me, I’d like to make a comparison to today. High school has been our warm pool. It’s at this moment that we’re all being forced out into the big pool that is the real world.

Some of us have already taken the plunge, whether by starting a job or venturing into dual enrollment. Some of us are ready to dive into the big pool. Some of us are where I was all those years ago: scared of all the big drains in the world. I can’t promise an easy road, nor can I provide any sage advice to guide you on this journey.

What I can say is that it’s time to make a leap. Every single graduate here has accomplished a great feat by receiving their diploma and has demonstrated that they are prepared for swimming with the big kids. Fear not.

Our time in high school was not wasted. The mentorships, friendships, and relationships we’ve all cultured these past 4 years don’t end today.

While the challenges may be great and the times may be tough, we’re all swimming in the big pool together.

 Photos by Jeff Whitten.