Rustburg High School held commencement exercises for the class of 2025 in May 2025 at Liberty University’s Bond Center, where students received diplomas, academic honors were presented and the community paused to remember a lost classmate.

Doctor Shields, principal of Rustburg High School, opened the ceremony and introduced student and staff speakers before turning the program to SCA president Ben Thomas. SCA president Ben Thomas said the class’s strength came from its diversity, telling the graduates, “The power of variety is a concept that I believe characterizes the class of 2025 perfectly.”

The ceremony included traditional recognitions and awards. Lance Burton was named this year’s Pendleton Award for Excellence recipient; the school described the award as recognizing “loyalty, achievement, scholarship and character.” The school also presented the Pendleton Award for Community Leadership to Barry Jones, who was noted for 25 years of service on the Campbell County School Board. Barry Jones reflected on his time in the district, saying, “Watching our students succeed at all levels and ultimately walk across the stage at their graduation knowing they're prepared for whatever they desire to do is tremendously gratifying.”

Academic honors were announced onstage. Tylee Abbott was recognized as salutatorian with a cumulative grade point average listed in the program as 4.5179; the ceremony noted she graduates through the Central Virginia Community College early college program and that she will attend Liberty University in the fall to study nursing. Bridal Maddox was recognized as valedictorian with a cumulative grade point average listed as 4.5246 and was introduced as planning to attend the University of Tennessee to study biomedical engineering.

Guest speaker and English teacher Mrs. Womack urged graduates to consider how they treat others, saying, “People remember how you make them feel,” and encouraged students to choose “something good” to spend their days doing. Principal Doctor Shields gave closing remarks about consistency and long-term effort and later, invoking the authority named in the program, declared the students eligible for diplomas. Doctor Shields said, “By the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Campbell County School Board, I hereby declare you graduates and alumni of Rustburg High School.”

Near the middle of the program the class paused for a moment of silence in memory of classmate Landon Martin. The ceremony concluded with a recessional and instructions for families to meet graduates outside the Bond Center as Liberty University prepared for the next ceremony.

The program also listed honor graduates and provided a roll call of graduating seniors and special award recipients, including faculty and community recognitions noted during the ceremony.