6,000 Pack LSU Assembly Center To Honor Central’s Class of 2026

To the familiar sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance,” more than 400 Central High School graduating seniors marched into LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center on May 13. It was the school’s 114th graduateing class.  As the seniors entered, more than 6,000 parents, family members, and friends who had packed the upper levels  of the arena cheered and applauded.

The seniors were led by  Central High School principal Brandon LaGroue, Central schools Supt. Jason Fountain, and top administrators.  Seniors sat in chairs on the floor of the Assembly Center.  

Administrators walked onto the stage and joined members of the Central Community School Board who were standing on stage left.  Several honor graduates and student leaders stood on stage right.

Members of the Central High faculty were seated in chairs on either side of the seniors.

The music, which was performed flawlessly by the Central High Symphonic Band, ended and the applause subsided.

At the podium, Central High Student Council president Christina Cotton called the event to order as everyone stood and applauded. She welcomed the crowd and introduced co-masters of ceremonies Camryn LaGroue and Josh Rispone.

Josh introduced the Color Guard of the Central High JROTC, which is led by Lt. Col. Joshua Germann.

Senior Kylah Strickland gave the invocation.  She said, “Heavenly Father, we come to you this evening and thank you for our many blessings.  Please bless our administration, teachers, city officials, and student body, along with our family and friends. We ask for your continued guidance and grace over our lives and give us the strength to embrace the challenges that lie ahead.  May the bonds that have been formed and memories we have made last a lifetime. Please be with each Class of 2026 graduates as we step into the future. In your name we pray, Amen.”

U.S. Supreme Court decisions and Louisiana law protect the right of students to pray during graduation ceremonies and on many other occasions on school campuses and during school events.

Seniors Ava Miller, Madison McKenzie, and Riley Rasberry led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

This was followed by a rousing rendition of Our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, by the Central High Concert Choir.

Guests were introduced by Ashlyn Voytax and Haydon Johnson.  These included

• School board members Jason Leaphart, president Roxanne Atkinson, Dr. David Walker, Nick Carmena, Mike Davis, vice president Michael Hooper, and Carol Norwood.

•Supt. Jason Fountain

•Central High leadership team including principal Brandon LaGroue, assistant principals Christina Faulk, Michelle Lato, and Kimberly Papillion, data and testing coordinator Aaron Angel, and administrative coordinator Justin Hutchinson.

In his remarks, Central High principal Brandon LaGroue commented on how amazing it was to be in the P-Mac and next to Tiger Stadium.  But he added a word for new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffen, who has been quoted as saying, “Things are just different here!”

LaGroue said, “Lane Kiffen, C-Town is in the house tonight!  If you want to know what ‘built different’ looks like, it’s this class right here!”

Addressing the Class of 2026, the principal added, “You are one of one!  Let me take one last look at you! Let me soak up the moment!  I’ve truly enjoyed the last four years with you!”

“Now I want you to look around and find your family and soak up the next five seconds. [Sustained applause]”

“I’ve seen nearly two decades of graduates come through CHS, and I’ve called classes special.  But this class is different.”

“I’m going to say something I’ve never said before.  This is the best graduating class in the 100+ year history of Central High School!”

“Facts don’t lie!  We have 38 Wildcats sitting here who will also soon hold college degrees!  That’s probably the largest number of any public high school in Louisiana history!”

“You didn’t just set the record!  You broke the mold! You combined to earn over 5,000 hours of college credit!  That is a savings to you of over $3 million in college truition.  Congratulations, parents too, because that’s a big savings!”

“We also have school and state record holders, state champions, national champions, National Merit Scholars, talented musicians, writers, and artists.  You are truly trend setting pioneers!”

“Let me tell you what I saw you master that other classes struggled with, and that is the power of consistency.”

“For four years, you’ve been injected with a growth charge every morning.  ‘Chase your one per-cent!’ and ‘Better today than yesterday!’  I don’t say those things just to be catchy. I say them because I want you to understand that you have the power to speak your future into existence.”  

“Success is not a given. It’s a trajectory.  The habits you keep, especially the habits you keep when no one is watching.  That commitment to consistent growth is why this class is just different.  Now is time to take that mentality and bet on yourself because life is truly you versus yourself!

“I found this TV show where an old man used the term ‘wildcatting.’ I love that term.  It reminded me of you.  In the oil business, it’s about betting on yourself and taking a course of great reward despite the odds.  It’s grit. It’s having the confidence to leave your comfort zone and go where others are afraid to go.”

“Graduates, hear me, wildcatting only works when your foundation is consistently strong and you have proven by your commitment to consistent growth so that your foundation is as strong as it comes.”

“So I’ve left you with a few reminders of how to wildcat when you enter the world.  There are little baggies under your seat.  In your bag, you have a penny.  That’s obviously to chase your one percent.  Never stop growing!  Incremental growth is your super power.  Also bet on yourself.  Do it now!  Better today than yesterday.”

“Find your passion, build your future!  Most things will be destroyed by boiling water.  But heat changes the water itself.  Don’t let the world change you.  Let your passion change the world.”  

“Class of 2026, you’re my people.  You’ve changed the trajectory of this school and after tonight I know you’re going to change the trajectory of the world.”

“I believe in you!  We believe in you!  I will forever be your biggest fan, whether you’re headed to the work force or becoming a Fighting Tiger or a Ragin’ Cajun, a Lion, a Bulldog, a Jaguar, or a Golden Eagle.  But for me you will always be Wildcats!”  

“So never forget, ‘Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat!’”

“Now go Wildcat this world!”

Christina Faulk then led the recognition of outstanding students.  These included:

•All students with a 3.5 average or higher were Honor Graduates and wore a double silver cord.

•Graduates with a 24 to 29 on ACT test wore a single gold cord.

•Graduates with a 30 or higher score on the ACT wore white medallions.

•Graduates who earned a statewide industry-based credential or a college credit from dual enrollment wore a single black cord.

•Graduates who earned an advanced industry-based credential were wearing a red, white and blue medallion.

•Graduates earned college credit by scoring a 3 or higher on an AP exam and a 50 or higher on CLEP exam wore a maroon and white medallion.

• The first Wildcat College graduates earned an Associate of Arts degree from Baton Rouge Community College.

All returning Central High graduates were asked to stand.

All veterans and students joining the U.S. military were recognized and thanked for their service.

In her Salutatorian address, Christina Cotton congratulated the graduates on all they have overcome to get to this point.  “Regardless of the hurdles you’ve cleared to get to this stage, you did it!”

“Of course, the challenges aren’t over. They are just changing.  When setbacks arise, I hope you look back at everything you’ve already overcome. Remember that the strength you’ve found here is still within you.”

“Success isn’t about gaining the wisdom on the first try.  It’s about gaining the wisdom to grow from every mistake.  Success is progress and it only happens when we have the courage to try.”

“As we move our separate ways, I know part of us will always live in Central.  Every time I hear the National Anthem, I know I’ll want to scream, ‘Home of the Wildcats!’”

“When I think of the Superdome, I’ll remember the roar of the crowd when our football team won the State Championship.  When I think of Lake Charles, I’ll see the basketball playoffs at McNeese.  When I think of Orlando, I’ll remember cheer winning the National Championship and band and dance nailing two titles for GameDay Live.”

“These aren’t just accomplishments.  They are memories woven into the fabric of our high school experience.  These shared memories prove how much of a family the Central community truly is.”

“We feel it when we run into our neighbors or teachers at the grocery store and are treated with genuine kindness.  We see it when hardship hits and our community steps in to help each other.  And we see it today at this milestone celebration as our town comes together to honor us.”

“No matter how far our paths take us from Central, we will always have a home here.”

“I thank my Lord and Savior.  He has been my rock when my world felt unsteady and a constant friend through every high and low.”  

“I would like to thank my parents, Mom and Dad.  I love you so much and I know none of this would be possible if you had not been fully invested in my success from Day One.  The lessons and work ethic you’ve instilled in me are a gift I will carry with me through any trials I face.”

“The greatest of these is the perspective I found in Romans 8:28: “‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, according to His purpose.’  That promise is why I can look ahead with such confidence.”

“As new opportunities arise and doors open, we don’t have to be afraid.  We just have to have the courage to walk through them, trusting that we never walk alone.”

“Thank you to my grandparents.  The amount of wisdom and advice you have given me helps me everyday. Thank you for teaching me the importance of patience and kindness.

“Thank you to all of my teachers. I could not have done it without you!  Thank you so much for a wonderful four years!”

The Central High Concert Choir then performed the class song, “Take on the World.”

Valedictorian Charleigh Hale thanked all those who helped her through her high school career.  She reviewed serving as captain of the Central soccer team and her disappointment at a career ending injury.

She reviewed the lessons she learned:

•“Life waits for no one.  Life is going to happen whether you are prepared or not, whether you expect it or not, and whether you want it to or not.  So take advantage of life.  Live each day as if it were your last.”

•“If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I would live with no regrets.  When I die, I want people to say I was a firecracker, that I lived life to the fullest, that I never took a day for granted.”

•“If I had known high school soccer had an earlier expiration date, I would have savored each moment.  Don’t get me wrong, I adored soccer, but I took the ability to play for granted.  I just assumed  I would play until the season ended.  This year taught me to take nothing for granted.”

•“The second lesson is that sometimes the curveballs life throws are you are blessings in disquise.  It is possible that the plan God has for you is better than the one you imagined for yourself.”  

“This is where Senior Night comes in. I dreaded it but when Senior Night came, it was the most profound sense of love I have ever felt.”

“Two little girls I had coached brought flowers and a handmade poster.  All my family came from an hour away.  My two best friends made me senior baskets.  They didn’t care that I coulzdn’t play.  They didn’t care that it was cold or that it was a work night and they had to show up the next day.  They showed up because they love me.

•“My coach let me do kickoff. Then my teammates kicked the ball out of bounds, so I would have time to get off the field.  Before the game continued, one of my teammates on the field hugged me.  We were crying.  I felt so loved in that moment.  It didn’t matter that what brought us together in the first place — our playing soccer — was gone for me.  My worth did not depend on my ability to play soccer!”

•“For the longest time after my injury, I struggled with my faith.  Where was God when I needed Him the most?  I finally got my answer.  God was in all my friends who came to support me, the coaches who still wanted me to be at everything, even though I couldn’t play. God was in my teammates who stayed with me even though I felt broken.  I may not have been able to play my Senior Night but God gave me something better — a community that made me feel loved when I felt alone.  There was a silver lining and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  It wasn’t what I planned or expected, but it was more meaningful and special than if it had gone according to my plan.  

• “Know that if life doesn’t go according to your plan, it will be okay.  I’m not saying it won’t be hard but it might well lead to something beautiful.  Maybe the moments most precious to us are the ones we never saw coming.”

Assistant Principal Michelle Lato took the lead in presenting the diplomas with the assistance of Principal Brandon LaGroue, Supt. Jason Fountain and the administrative team.

After all of the graduates received their diplomas, they participated in Moving of the Tassel, under the direction of Kameryn Brown, Madeline Markey, and Raegan Shook.

The Benediction was led by Matilyn Laird, and the Cap Celebration was led by Destiny Carr, Treasure Dunn, and Ainsley Newman.

The entire assemblage sang the Central High Alma Mater led by the Concert Choir and Symphonic Band.

The graduates and the facultyfiled out of the Assembly Center to the accompaniment of “Fanfare and Recessional” played by the Central High Symphonic Band.

Photographers for the Central City News were Jolice Provost and editor Woody Jenkins.  The video of the event can be found at Central City News on Facebook or use the QR code found on Page 4 of this paper.