Students Add to the Pomp and Circumstance of Graduation

On June 15th, the Class of 2017 will gather with their friends, family members, and school system staff to celebrate a major life milestone as they receive their high school diplomas. Their Commencement Ceremony will mark the first official appearance of a new symbol of the importance of the moment. On that evening, as daylight wanes, the Class of 2017 will be led by the Faculty Marshal carrying the brand-new John A. Holmes High School Ceremonial Academic Mace.

During the fourteenth century, European universities first began to use a ceremonial academic mace. A combination of a royal scepter and a battle mace, the academic mace was carried before the chief officers of the universities. In the years that have followed, American universities and later public high schools commissioned and adopted their own academic maces.

At John A. Holmes High School, the mace will be used in academic ceremonies to symbolize the importance of these solemn occasions in the life of the students and of the school. During commencement exercises, baccalaureate services, and academic awards presentations, the mace specifically indicates the qualification and competence of the faculty and principal to recommend students for diplomas and the authority of the Board of Education to award diplomas and academic awards.

Last year as we lined up for the graduation exercises, I challenged John A. Holmes High School Teacher Mr. Ben O’Kelley to lead his students in creating a ceremonial academic mace for use during solemn academic ceremonies. His work and the work of his students far exceeded my imagination. Mr. O’Kelley and the students in the Advanced Cabinet Making classes he teaches, designed and built an amazing symbol worthy of representing the students, the staff, the school, and the school system. In addition to other students, Lucas Cooper, Shane Spruill, Dylan White, Javonte Garland, Clayton Forward, and Douglas Perkins each made significant contributions to the construction and design of the mace.

The mace is constructed of Walnut and Pine, both considered native trees in the area. The staff of the mace is segmented into four sections, representing the four Edenton-Chowan Schools that students matriculate through during their kindergarten through twelfth grade educational journey.

The head of the mace bears the seals of the four schools. The traditional seal for John A. Holmes High School is shaped like a teapot, reflecting the history and tradition of the area as the home of the Edenton Tea Party. This seal is broken into four quadrants. The upper left quadrant contains both the shape of the state of North Carolina and the county of Chowan, anchoring the school geographically to its roots. The upper right quadrant bears the likeness of the oldest building on the school campus, the 1950 two-story brick building. The lower left quadrant hosts symbols for academics and athletics, including an open book representing the lives of students yet to be written. The lower right quadrant contains a peanut, a boll of cotton, and a tobacco leaf reflecting the importance of agriculture in the area. A ribbon streaming above and below the seal bears the name of the school and the school mascot, the Aces.

The second seal on the mace bears a Bulldog, the school mascot for Chowan Middle School. The third seal represents D. F. Walker Elementary School with its mascot, the Hornet. The fourth seal bears the likeness of Cubbie, the tiger cub of White Oak Elementary School. Each of these schools carry forward the name and proud tradition of the schools and school systems that served the children of Chowan County prior to the current school system’s merger in June, 1967 when Hiriam Mayo served as Superintendent.

The crown of the mace is a wooden replica of a teapot lid, reflecting the important historical nature of the Edenton Tea Party, widely recognized as the first political activity engaged in by women in our country. Fifty-one women, led by Penelope Barker, signed their names to a statement of protest, standing up for the rights of the colonists. This reminder of the historic, progressive past of our area is an important challenge to our current and future students as citizens of our great country to never fail to stand up for others.

The John A. Holmes High School Ceremonial Academic Mace will immediately precede the faculty and students in ceremonial processions.  The mace is carried by the Faculty Marshal. Selected by the staff, the Faculty Marshal will typically be the John A. Holmes High School Teacher of the Year.

The “Pomp and Circumstance” of Commencement has been added to greatly by Mr. O’Kelley and his students. Through their vision and skill, the legacy and tradition of the each of the schools in the Edenton-Chowan Schools system will be well-represented whenever students gather to celebrate scholarly success.

This article originally appeared in "The Chowan Herald" on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, as an article written by Dr. Jackson titled, "Graduation a major milestone."