Each year, the faculty selects a member of the Senior Class to deliver the graduation address. Below, read Graham Whitaker's graduation speech and charge to the graduating class of 2025.

Good evening.  Tonight, I am honored to give this year's graduation speech. Welcome parents, grandparents, family friends, faculty, alumni, staff, administration, and other visitors to this year’s graduation for the Class of 2025.

To begin, I would like to express gratitude to all of the parents who made the decision that a complete education includes discipleship with Christ. The sacrifices that you made by sending us to Faith Christian School gave us the opportunity to receive a great education. From helping us study for our rigorous classes to driving us to the many school events, you have always been there for us. While we struggled through classes, you were able to motivate us with the message that our hard work would pay off.  Thank you for keeping us in dress code, even if we couldn’t keep our shirts tucked in. Thank you for being a team Mom and taking lots of pictures. Thank you for stepping in as coaches when we needed you. And thank you for volunteering your time to help out at the school, whether it was lunch duty, working in concessions at a game, or volunteering alongside us at Project Faith, and in so many other ways.

Next, I would like to thank the teachers, who are so devoted to the success of their students. Our teachers make sure that we can fully grasp the subject. They are not content with our having a basic knowledge of concepts, but encourage us to challenge ourselves to have a deep understanding of what we learn. Minds with curiosity, abundance of insight, and the ability to ask meaningful questions are cultivated here, thanks to our teachers. The academic condition of the students is not the only concern of these teachers, however, as they also make an effort to guide their students spiritually. From leading prayers for the students to discussing the contents of the morning chapels, our teachers are great Christian role models. One specific example that comes to mind was in ninth grade, when Mr. Smith, who was the Head of Middle and Upper School at the time, chose to be the advisor to the boys in our class. Throughout the year, he read with us Thoughts for Young Men, which guides Christian men through trials they encounter throughout their lives. At the end of the year, he took us on an overnight hiking trip to McAfee's Knob, where we concluded our year together exploring nature, sharing devotions, and waking up to a breathtaking sunrise with a view of God’s creation. This experience will always be a meaningful reminder of what faculty at Faith Christian School are willing to do for students. This experience is one of many examples I could share of how our teachers went above and beyond during our time here at Faith.

Other examples would be when teachers take the class outside to have instruction in nature.  From coming to school sporting events to leading during Project Faith, our teachers are always finding ways to serve the school. We work alongside teachers who take on the role of overseeing and advising our clubs. Our teachers do much for us outside of the classroom. Thank you, teachers, for pouring so much into your students to ensure that they grow up to be remarkable people and followers of Christ.

Last year at Valedictio, our school’s year-end closing ceremony, Mr. Whitmore, one of our class parents and longtime Director of Development at Faith Christian, gave a charge to us to serve as a reminder throughout our senior year.  He used a passage from John 13 that reads, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Throughout the course of our final year at Faith Christian School, we have exercised this virtue in our mission to live as followers of Christ.  We showed love to each other when painting the senior rock and had the annual epic pasta dinner at Mrs. Goodman’s house.  We loved each other when we grew together as a class during our senior retreat.  We formed bonds with our kindergarten buddies, and we stepped up as leaders of the school this year.  We survived thesis together through all the setbacks, late-night deadlines, and many, many rewrites.

This school offers a culture that allows a loving atmosphere.  But as we leave this school, we will not always have this protection. Seniors, as you go off to college, remember to take this culture of Christian love with you. You may find that your future teachers are not as willing to help you through your struggles. You may find bad influences instead of followers of Christ, worldly distractions instead of prayerful meditations. It is easier to be virtuous when you are surrounded by virtue, but in your new community, you will need to be the source of charity that influences everyone else. I want all of you to become role models to your new community, just as you have been shown role models in this community.

Before my conclusions, I will be giving a personal charge to each of my fellow seniors.  It has been a gift to learn about all of you. I would like to share a few of the attributes that I have observed in you and offer you words of encouragement.

Cooper – It's been your dream to go to Virginia Tech. Don't lose the man that you've become in these walls. Instead, take with you that same fortitude that allowed you to become such a strong athlete, and remain strong in your faith. See you at Tech.

Julliette – You have thrived in the arts program here at Faith. Additionally, the strength you have in your faith is admirable. You have a strong desire to help others. Going into pre-med at Roanoke College, hold on to your ambition to serve and seek out those you can help, while continuing to hold a strong faith.

Hailey – Your gifts are creativity and imagination.  You have developed a love for writing. Take that passion and embrace the journey it will take you on through your words and creativity. Use your unique perspective and values to inspire others around you to see the world as you do, and hold firm to your deep Christian values. And, I hope there are lots of dogs for you to pet at Roanoke College. 

John – You have the ability to make people laugh and put them at ease. You care about others feeling out of place and go out of your way to be a kind friend. Allow this nature to be of comfort to others, that they may see the joy in your Faith in Christ. I look forward to seeing your soccer career at Randolph-Macon.

Kiran – When you take on a challenge, you dedicate yourself to it with a passion. Whether it be an athletic goal or an ambitious writing assignment, you will go above and beyond. With this drive and work ethic, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I look forward to hearing the path you choose for your future at Roanoke College.

We have been through a lot together as a class.  I have known most of you for nearly my whole life.  Through our time at Faith, there have been many Christmas programs and Recitation Chapels,  the Bee Skit, Egyptian Day and Viking Day, school plays, work detentions, Chocolate Milk Club, silent lunches, flour bombs at War Night, greasy watermelons at Luau, dancing with Mr. Virgin at school events, the History Chant, Latin conjugations, singing “Holy Holy Holy” in four-part harmony, buzzer-beaters, pig dissections, painting fences at Project Faith, hiking the Narrows in Zion, and a red-eye flight from Vegas made even longer because of a pilot’s broken seat.

As we go forward into the next stage of our lives, remember our theme verse for the year, Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” When you bring your love into your new communities, do not try this on your own. Rely on God’s word to illuminate your path. When you’re feeling lost, it is the Holy Spirit that points you in the right direction. Do not forget all that has been done for you in this building and the love that was instilled in this community. Remember it with gratitude, just as I am grateful for having spent this time with all of you. I have loved my time at Faith, and, Seniors, I love all of you.  Thank you.