GUYTON — In some ways, South Effingham's commencement ceremony was like a "Saturday Night Live" performance. The comedy didn't detract from the dignity of the occasion, however.
Class of 2018 President Tanner Rushing, Salutatorian Victoria Tseng and Valedictorian Richard "Blue" Morris shared humorous anecdotes during their unorthodox speeches, which also featured light-hearted jabs at a couple of school officials and a rap routine.
"I could stand here before you and speak of the reason why we are truly an unforgettable class, and maybe not all for good reasons," Rushing said, "and so, that is exactly what I am going to do."
Rushing mentioned "an incident in a certain math class" during the class' freshman year that left many in the standing-room-only crowd at The Corral scratching their heads.
"If you were there, you know," she explained.
While pivoting to the class' sophomore year, Rushing mentioned the "glorious and unfortunately uncommon moment of beating Effingham County High School in a football game."
The class president followed the highly applauded remark with a reference to "some of us taking an alternate route to get through Algebra II."
"And for that, every other class can thank us for the phone caddies," she continued.
Rushing said the class' final year passed largely without incident.
"We were suspiciously quiet this year," she said. "Thank you, administration."
Rushing took a serious turn in her closing remarks.
"As we are one of the most memorable classes, I would also like us to be one of the most successful," she said.
While introducing Tseng, Assistant Principal Jeff Faith listed her sense of humor as one of her most prominent characteristics. She lived up to the billing when she got her turn on the stage.
"The only things I remember from freshman year is that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and that life is paradoxical," she said. "I apologize to my teachers."

See the May 30 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.