Cabarrus County Performance Learning Center awards diplomas to Class of 2025; students, board and administrators attend

The Cabarrus County Performance Learning Center held its commencement for the Class of 2025 on May 20, drawing Cabarrus County Board of Education members, central-office administrators and families to celebrate graduates who completed the program’s alternative pathway to a high school diploma.

The ceremony featured the Pledge of Allegiance, remarks from district and school officials and three student speakers who emphasized perseverance and the school’s smaller, individualized learning environment. Superintendent Dr. Kopicki and Deputy Superintendent Dr. LeGrand attended alongside Board Chair Rob Walter, Vice Chair Greg Mills and board members Pam Escobar, Melanie Freeman, Shannon Lancaster, Catherine Moore and Sam Treadway.

The program underscored the Performance Learning Center’s role as an alternative option inside Cabarrus County Schools. Student speakers described the school as a place that supported recovery of academic confidence and accommodated students whose needs did not fit the traditional classroom. Samuel Bankston Fish, one of the student speakers, told classmates, “You didn't just meet expectations, you redefined them.” Paige Landis, another student speaker, said the “people at the PLC, are effortlessly kind to students and guests,” citing the school’s smaller setting and staff support as factors in her decision to transfer and in her improved well-being and academic success.

Administrators publicly thanked board members and central-office staff for their support. A district official announced the graduates and, “In the presence of these witnesses and by the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina and the Cabarrus County Board of Education, I pronounce you graduates of the Cabarrus County Performance Learning Center,” after which graduates moved their tassels to the left.

The ceremony listed the names of graduating students from the Performance Learning Center and closed with the recessional. Remarks and student testimonials focused on personal growth, second chances and the school’s emphasis on individualized instruction.

The event did not include board action items, votes, or references to policy changes; it functioned as a ceremonial commencement marking completion of the program’s diploma requirements for the listed graduates.