O’Neal Holds 49th Commencement Ceremony
O’Neal held its 49th Commencement at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center at Sandhills Community College, on Friday, May 23rd at 9:00 am.
O’Neal’s valedictorian is Charlotte Mills, whose parents are Mr. Stuart Mills and Mrs. Helen Probst-Mills of Pinehurst. O’Neal’s salutatorian is Morgan Lewis, daughter of Mr. Llewellyn and Mrs. Page Lewis of Whispering Pines.
The commencement speaker was O’Neal Board of Trustees Chair John Taws. John’s family was one of the founding families of The O’Neal School. His father, the late Ted Taws was the first Chair of the Board of Trustees starting in 1971. John is the president of Fletcher Industries in Southern Pines. His youngest son Whit is a rising third-grade student at O’Neal.
Charlotte Mills’ valedictory speech closed with the message that every member of the Class of 2025 will be doing great things, and no matter what the occupation, every graduate will have their graduating class cheering for them with great pride. Mr. Taws followed by noting in his remarks how impressed he was with the camaraderie and support shown among the 27 graduates. Such relationships are sought by many.
The class of 2025, consisting of 27 students, has so far amassed upwards of $3.1 million in merit-based scholarships. All 27 students are matriculating to 18 different institutions of higher learning. A sample of these colleges and universities is Temple University – Japan, Purdue University, Barnard College, Smith College, NC State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and American University.
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