Family and friends were not deterred by the dark purple clouds rolling over The Corral on Friday evening. They packed the stands and crowded the fences around the field to watch 353 Mustangs receive their South Effingham High School diplomas. Luckily, only a few drops of rain were felt, and the clouds rolled on as SEHS chorus teacher Ray Ellis called each of the graduates to step across the stage.

Beach balls bounced across the sea of Mustang red robes as the class of 2011 moved their tassels in unison from the right side of their hats to their left.

And, in line with SEHS tradition, the class raced across the field to the Mustang statue and threw their hats as the real celebration began. For more photos from the SEHS commencement ceremony, see pages 6 and 7 and also visit community.effinghamherald.net.