Troup R.O.C.K. Stars Say Goodbye

The morning before she walked the auditorium stage to get her middle school certificate, Troup School eighth-grader Mackenzie Forbes found herself crying in the school bathroom. She was about to leave the place where she had spent most days since kindergarten. 

Still, Forbes had a huge smile on her face as she braced for a bittersweet moment with her head held high. 

“I feel really good, I feel really happy,” she said. 

Forbes and her 33 classmates were Augusta Lewis Troup Middle School’s Class of 2025 graduates, and they officially entered the next chapter of their educational careers Tuesday morning. 

Usually, Troup graduates get to claim their middle school certificates outside the school, but the rainy morning forced the school officials to move the ceremony into the Edgewood Avenue school’s auditorium. 

With a strong sound system setting the tone, the auditorium slowly filled with families and friends of the graduating students. Facilities had to get more chairs. 

“You experienced a year of transformation, not only at this school but also in this country,” said Principal Eugene J. Foreman, Jr. ​“Your teachers have equipped you with the tools and resources required to be successful in high school and beyond. You do not need to rush into adulthood — trust me, it is not as fun as you think it is. You all made me want to come to work; you will definitely be missed.”

The K‑8 school embraces the core principles of ​“R.O.C.K.” — respect, ownership, citizenship and knowledge. Posters displaying the acronym adorned the walls of the school. 

Adding to their graduation certificates, 15 students also left with various special awards, including the two recipients of the Principal’s Award — Sincer’e Stanley Miller and Sincere Whitley, for ​“always sitting in my office after every class,” as Foreman joked. Their similar names prompted Sincer’e and Sincere’s classmates to yell, ​“The twins!”

“When we first got here, many of us were unsure of who we wanted to be,” said Nashuana Tuwana Thompson, the class valedictorian. ​“We’ve stumbled and struggled. As we leave this place, there will be more challenges than we can imagine. But we are not walking into that world unprepared.”

Foreman noted in his speech that this graduating class was extra special for the school, as it was the first class that enjoyed out-of-state school trips to Massachusetts and New York City. 

However, their time was not without hiccups. ​“The first time the bus actually broke down,” Forbes recalled. ​“I didn’t go on the next trip when they rescheduled it, because why would I trust the bus again? We had to wait for like an hour for the people to come and fix the bus in the sun.”

But for every bad experience, the students had a good one to make up for it before leaving the place they spent so many years. 

“It’s a good feeling, I feel amazing,” said Yabsira Yemiamrew Jorgi, the class salutatorian. ​“My experience here was amazing. I made a lot of friends, and I’m just really excited.” 

And so, after about half an hour of programming, cheers erupted in the auditorium as the Class of 2025 officially became rising high schoolers. 

Foreman left his students with encouraging words. ​“It’s important to be proactive, not reactive. I’m expecting many great things from you. Be the leaders I know you are. As a graduate of this school, be proud.”