With the flip of a tassel and the toss of a cap, nearly 200 members of the Patrick County High School Class of 2017 are set to embark on the next chapter following the Commencement Ceremony Friday.

As the ceremony got underway, PCHS Principal Trey Cox recognized a number of students for various achievements, including the Top 10, Honor Graduates, Superintendent Scholars and more. He added the class earned more than $257,000 in scholarships.

Addressing class members, Reagan Adam, of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, said “God has planted greatness in each of us. … Let today be the next adventure.”

Adams was among several students to talk to the class before diplomas were awarded.

“Always remember where you came from and always remember where you’re going,” Leticia Campos-Pineda said in her remarks as the outgoing senior class secretary.

Salutatorian Alyson Nelson delivered her speech “Coffee Stains,” but first took time to thank God, teachers and parents for the efforts that culminated Friday.

“We all know how this goes… We’ll slowly grow apart” as graduates embark on different paths in the future, Nelson said, adding she will always remember her time at PCHS. The school, she said, offered a place to find herself.

Melanie Roberson, vice president of the senior class, used a quote from popular the TV show ‘One Tree Hill’ to help illustrate points of her speech, titled ‘Make A Wish.’

“It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life.”

So, “make a wish, place it in your heart … now believe in it … make it come true,” Roberson challenged classmates.

Trevor Hazelwood, president of the senior class, borrowed a quote from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as part of his ‘How Far We Have Come’ speech. “Life is one grand sweet song, so start the music.”

Jacob “Jake” Martin, in his speech ‘Defy the Odds,’ encouraged graduates to do one thing throughout their lives: “defy the odds and leave them speechless.”

Martin said he had the “unique pleasure of doing something I never thought I’d do,” and that was graduating with his grandfather, Vietnam War veteran Otis Turner.

Turner was among a handful of other veterans to serve their country, but not afforded the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. He and others were awarded honorary diplomas during Friday’s ceremony.

“What are the odds” that he would graduate with his grandfather, Martin asked, and also pondered the odds of being attacked by a shark. But, that, too, happened at Topsail Beach in 2002, he said.

“I was on the wrong end of those odds … a shark latched onto my foot,” he said, and joked that mathematically, he had a better chance of being injured by a toilet than the shark.

“I hope this class defeats the odds. Not only in what we do, but in who we are,” Martin said. “Be the unstoppable … do what you love and do it with your whole heart.”

Schools Superintendent William Sroufe said class members are “ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Looking out into the sea of gold and green, I see how far you’ve progressed.”

Graduation “concludes a significant and wonderful chapter of your lives,” Sroufe told the class. “Another is set to begin.”

Rather than becoming discouraged when faced with future challenges, Sroufe said “Have faith in yourself. Be true to yourself. Instead of the world changing you, you can help change the world. … You leave us with an indelible legacy. Godspeed.”