With only a few days left until graduation, Dawson County High School students are taking the time to say their last goodbyes to their classmates -some of which have been together since pre-school.
"I'm going to miss all the friends I've made here," said senior Cole Smith. "I'm also going to miss the teachers. I've had some for three years in a row. I'm really just going to miss the community as a whole."
Smith is one of many life-long Dawson County students, having started pre-school in Dawson County and continuing through the system.
Other students, like Matthew Holton, are looking forward to setting out and beginning new adventures.
"I'm really looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life," he said. "I'm going to [the University of Georgia] and hopefully going on to bigger and better things to what I've accomplished here. I've already had some pretty good accomplishments here and I'm looking forward to adding on to those."
Holton and his brother, James, are involved in the high school athletics programs as well as its agricultural programs. The brothers also share a passion for animals with their father, veterinarian Ed Holton.
"I'm going into dairy sciences at UGA and then I'm going to veterinarian school afterwards," Matthew Holton said.
This year's graduating class will see more than 250 students receive their diploma, with more than 150 students receiving more than $175,000 for their college funding.
Two students in particular stick out in this year's graduates. Seniors David Goswick and Gilbert Pruitt have never missed an unexcused day of classes from kindergarten all the way to the end of their senior year.
"I've mostly just tried to stay healthy," Pruitt said. "I've been going for this since pretty much day one. I really just didn't want to fall behind in classes."
This year's graduating class is Principal Richard Crumley's first at Dawson County High School.
"We have a wonderful, hard-working group of students that enjoy being around each other and represent our school extremely well," he said. "They are an extremely talented bunch, not only academically but athletically and in the arts. We couldn't be more proud of them."
The Dawson County High School Class of 2015 will take their final walk and receive their diplomas during the 8:30 a.m. ceremony on May 23 at Tigers Stadium.