The 2019 seniors were honored at their baccalaureate on May 19 . The ceremony was held at the First Baptist Church, which is also where many of the students had attended pre-school.Students and their families enjoyed refreshments and took pictures together before and after the ceremony.

Once all the seniors in attendance were lined up and seated in the church pews, pastor Rick Willis gave an introduction speech. Following were three hymns: “Amazing Grace”, “We Believe” and “How Great Thou Art”. Senior Monica Garza led the audience in prayer and senior Paige Linney read selected verses from the Book of Matthew. The baccalaureate ended with a prayer and with a closing hymn common at most churches, “the Doxology”.

“I was pretty nervous but I knew to come prepared and practiced reciting the passage,” Linney said. “I only messed up a couple times, but I think it went well. It definitely wasn’t as scary as having to give a speech at graduation would be.”

First Baptist also honored their senior church members earlier that day. During the sermon, a slideshow was presented showing pictures of these students and their plans after graduation. Those that were there: Brin Henderson, Daniel Lang and Mackenzie Mclendon were presented a bible with their names engraved on the cover.

“My dad is a youth leader at First Baptist, so he was the one speaking while my mom gave us our bibles,” Mclendon said. “It was really special, and so was the baccalaureate. It’s definitely prepared me for graduation, but I didn’t realize how soon it was until I saw everyone in their gowns, and it kind of hit me all at once. I’ve made so many memories and friendships at LHS that will last me a lifetime and although it’s hard to say goodbye, I’m definitely ready for the next chapter of my life.”