North Shelby celebrates five graduates

This school year has seen the return of many staple events at North Shelby School — the North Carolina Science Festival, planting potatoes in the Cleveland County Potato Project and prom.

On Friday, students got back one of the biggest events of all. Surrounded by classmates, family members, friends and school administrators, five students —  Dasani Allen, Kayanna Williams, Ty'Rez Hopper, Erika Jones and William Jones — were celebrated as the graduating class of 2022.

"This is our first big graduation ceremony since COVID happened. It feels normal and it feels good," said Paula Stevens, North Shelby principal, after Friday's ceremony.

In 2020, the school, which serves special needs students from across Cleveland County, moved its graduation ceremony online. Last year, only graduates' family members were allowed to attend. 

"Our students were able to have people here to recognize all their accomplishments. And that is what we want people to see," said Stevens. (These graduates) have overcome a lot of obstacles with virtual learning and then returning to a school environment."

Laura Soles, Jones' mother, said watching her daughter get a diploma was an emotional moment. 

"The years at this school have been a blessing in our lives. I'm really proud of her," said Soles. "She went from being this shy little girl and she's really opened up. She is caring, helps her teachers and her classmates. If someone is feeling bad, she is right there for them."

Because of their small class size, North Shelby was able to highlight individual skills and accolades of each graduate.

As part of the ceremony Hopper was allowed to showcase his percussion skills, performing the main musical theme from Marvel's Spider-Man films. The teenager has grown into an accomplished artist at the school.

For Hoppers parents, Kenya Robinson and Terrance Hopper, the performance was a showcase of how far the young man has come since he started attending North Shelby.

"When he was small, he couldn't talk. They've worked with him with speech therapy and occupational therapy. I was so excited to see that. He has grown so much," they said. 

The majority of Friday's graduates will return to North Shelby later this year. The school operates a post secondary education program which teaches soft job skills to students. They can remain in the program through their 21st birthday. 

Dustin George can be reached at 704-669-3337 or Dustin.George@ShelbyStar.com.