Clayton speaks that the first James Clemens High School commencement ceremony. (RECORD PHOTO/ALDO AMATO)

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — The first graduating class at James Clemens High School has come and gone.

The group of 87 young men and women have now officially entered the world of adulthood. And with now a full school year as principal under his belt, Dr. Brian Clayton said how proud he was of the first senior class.

“When you look at it, they did a fantastic job,” he said. “They group became leaders like we needed them too and we are very proud of them.”

The seniors were made up of transfers from Bob Jones High school and were faced with a tough decision at the beginning of the school year. Though it may have been one of the smallest classes to graduate in the county this year, the group set the stage for future classes to come.

“They were small in size but big in a sense of making an impact,” Clayton said. “Next year we are on track to graduate around 270 kids and 400 the year after that. So we are growing each and every year.”

Clayton praised the staff for guiding the seniors on the right path in the one year that they were there.

“We had a lot of firsts,” he said. “We needed a lot of leadership from faculty and staff and I feel like we saw that this year.”

Clayton added that he is excited for the future classes to walk through the halls of the brand new school.

“Every class is a little bit different,” he said. “But we feel like we have a good foundation already.”