Fort Lee community celebrates journey of high school graduation

PRINCE GEORGE, Va. (June 20, 2018) -- Four hundred and thirty-six seniors were applauded, cheered and encouraged to take on the next challenges of their lives during the 65th Prince George High School graduation ceremony Saturday at the learning facility's athletic stadium.

PGHS, the designated public high school for installation residents, is the only one of its kind in Prince George County, a rural jurisdiction bordering Fort Lee to the east. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,400 students annually, many of them military-affiliated.

Several speakers were featured at the commencement including the class president, principal and superintendent. In his speech, Valedictorian Elijah A. Ozbat urged students to be patient about executing their career plans, noting that each individual should move at his or her own pace and savor the journey.

"In a way, graduation marks the beginning of a period of discovery and searching," he said, addressing a crowd of a few thousand. "This is the time to search for who you are and what you want; a time to shape your own destiny, and most importantly, to live."

Ozbat is the son of retired 1st Sgt. Aaron and Cynthia Ozbat. He was one of the many military-affiliated students - those whose parents are either active duty service members, military retirees, veterans or installation civilian employees - who received diplomas during the event.

Among those students were Fraingeli and Paola Castro-Gonzalez, twin daughters of Sgt. 1st Class Efrain Castro of Foxtrot Company, 16th Ordnance Battalion, and his wife, Angelica. They were pictures of celebration following the ceremony, cradling bouquets of roses, wearing wide smiles and posing for pictures with their parents. Angelica, who could be described as fun-loving in her poses, said it was a reflective experience to see her girls walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.

"There were a lot of things going through my mind - thinking about them from the time they were born to now," she said. "I'm so proud of them, and I know they're going to do great things in the future."

The Castro-Gonzalez twins have plans to attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Another military parent, Col. Sean P. Davis, who relinquished command of the 59th Ord. Brigade the day prior, was there in support of his daughter Alexandra Davis. He arrived early enough before the ceremony to position himself outside a fence separating the crowd from the stage to photograph his daughter as she descended the stairs with her diploma. For him, that moment was golden.

"It means the world to us to have that memory - not on a phone or any type of digits - but in your mind from what you witnessed yourself," he said, speaking for his wife, Camille and their family. "It was tremendous, and I feel blessed to be able to see it because there are so many people who can't see this day in their kids' lives, especially in our line of work."

Alexandra Davis has attended seven different schools, said her dad. She plans to matriculate at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

Sgt. 1st Class Tony Sweat and his family, there in support of daughter Kyra, said military children are unique in that most have attended more schools than the average student. His daughter transitioned through seven.

"It's very hard on them," he said, "because they make friends and become familiar (with their surroundings). Then, all of a sudden, it's ripped up in a moment's notice because they're told they have to go somewhere else."

Over the course of a 20-year career, Soldiers may be relocated to as many as 10 installations and experience several deployments. Kyra attended two high schools prior to arriving at Prince George in her junior year. She has plans to attend nursing school (see story on Page 15).

Active duty military children comprise roughly 15 percent of the PGHS student body, according to school officials. Smaller, but equally significant, populations are interspersed among school districts throughout central Virginia. This annual Traveller tribute is one way the Team Lee community draws focus on these young adults in order to recognize their ability to overcome challenges and achieve academic success.