When they cross the stage Friday night, that familiar tune, “Pomp and Circumstance,” will be playing.
As Greenwood High seniors reach for their diplomas at the Leflore County Civic Center, a few members of the Greenwood High marching band will serenade them. But it will be a hushed affair, and not because there will be no applause until each graduate has slipped across the stage and into alumni status.
The Greenwood High class of 2008 lost two members to gunfire on the nighttime streets of Greenwood.
“I am proud of them,” said Greenwood mayor Sheriel Perkins of the 150 graduates. “They have weathered the storm and now here they are, getting ready to walk, in spite of some of their classmates falling.”
The deaths of Erica Duncan and Travis Miller serve as sad bookends to the class of 2008’s high school career.
“Both of them will be very missed,” said Elise Batiste, Greenwood High senior class president.
Duncan, 18, was murdered less than a month ago. She was an outgoing girl with an unworn prom dress hanging in her closet. Graduation was in sight when she was killed near the intersection of Dewey and Henry streets.
“Yes, she was loud and lively, but that’s what made people like her,” Batiste said.
Miller, 15, died four years ago. At the time of his death, he was two weeks into his freshman year. Shot in Whittington Park, he never got the chance to make high school friendships.
“I didn’t know him personally,” said Darius Love, valedictorian of the senior class. “But I knew who he was.”
Senior night last Friday was dedicated to the memory of Duncan and Miller. The hour-plus long event began with a celebratory feel. By the time a slide show featuring Duncan had ended, the mood had turned somber.
“Anytime you lose a classmate, it’s hard to deal with,” Love said. “I mean we certainly didn’t expect to have the same thing happen twice.”
Class members say they want to honor Erica and Travis.
“Like they say, death shouldn’t be just about mourning,” said Batiste. “You should also try to celebrate a person’s life.”
“It motivates the class, my class, to go out and live your life to the fullest,” Love added.
With a diploma waiting on her, they’ll call Erica’s name Friday night.
And Virginia Miller, the older sister of Travis, will be in attendance. Of her brother’s death, she said: “I think about it every day.”
So will a lot of other people Friday night, as the seniors walk in those maroon gowns.
“They’re getting ready to start another aspect of their lives,” said Perkins, whose children all graduated from Greenwood High. “They can honor Erica and Travis by striving for their goals.”
