Harlem Middle School Principal Carla Shelton asked for input from her pupils as to who they wanted to speak at the school's eighth-grade ceremony this past Thursday.
The results heavily favored sports figures, but Shelton wanted at least one voice that wasn't sports-related.
Roxanne Whitaker, who serves on the Columbia County Board of Education, was chosen to appease the dissenters, but couldn't resist using sports to drive her message.
Whitaker told the group of departing eighth-graders about a phrase University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt used one season to inspire his team -- "Finish the drill."
She said she wanted to shake the hand of each pupil in the middle school gymnasium after they graduated high school as the Class of 2013.
"We are all committed to help you finish the drill," she told them.
Whitaker was joined by two former Georgia Tech standouts.
Willie Reese, a former Yellow Jackets basketball player and now the team's director of operations, made his third trip to speak at the school. Reese's counterpart was Eddie Lee Ivery, a former first-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers who played football at Georgia Tech and Thomson High School.
Reese talked to the pupils about the importance of setting goals as they move on to high school. He reminded them that the grades they make their freshman year would count toward their overall grade point average and affect where they go after 2013. He told them to strive for the best grades possible.
"Your opportunity is going to be there," he said. "There's going to be scholarship money available."
Ivery, who was an All-American at Thomson High School and Georgia Tech, apologized to Shelton before he began. He said he doubted she knew what she was getting into by asking him to speak. He then launched into a fiery message that had the feel of a sermon, preaching to the wide-eyed pupils about the definition of success.
Ivery told them about how he was placed in special education classes as a second-grader, but went on to graduate high school as a member of Thomson's Beta Club. He told them how people said he was too small to play college football, and that he would never cut it at an academic institution like Tech.
Ivery warned them that success would require the pupils to make changes when needed as they move on in life, and to think positively.
"If we keep those thoughts one day at a time, our actions will follow," he said.
He closed by telling them to never give up and received a standing ovation from parents, teachers and administrators.
To close, the pupils each received certificates and "Commitment to Graduate" bracelets. The green bands are part of a Josten's program to help motivate students to stay in school and to graduate. Harlem High is one of the program's model schools, and the Class of 2013 its test subjects.
Dietmar Perez, Harlem High's next principal, closed by welcoming the exiting class and reassuring parents that their children are in good hands.
"Make your high school years special," he said.
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