LAUREL HILL — After a few quick wardrobe adjustments—Becca Stewart's mortarboard slithered off and Dakota Steel's smart yellow bow tie needed a minor straightening—the Class of 2016 was ready to graduate.
"I'm ready to walk!" Jaccob Bell called out as he and his classmates cued up outside senior sponsor Debra Adams's classroom for the procession over to the gymnasium.
PHOTOS: View photos from Laurel Hill School's graduation>>
"It's fun seeing them grow out of their shells," Adams said. "That's the advantage of this school. You see them grow up from shy little things and now they're ready to take on the world."
Many of the 30 graduates had been together at Laurel Hill School, one of Okaloosa County's two kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools, since elementary school.
"It's a small school but it's fun to be around," Samuel Slaughter said. "The friends you meet here are great. Some of them are crazy but they're all fun to be around."
Like some of his classmates, Samuel had his immediate future mapped out. Tuesday he goes through orientation for Northwest Florida State College's welding program.
Dakota is also Northwest Florida State-bound. He plans to sample general coursework before settling on a major, which could possibly be marine biology.
During student remarks, Bree Hammac advised her classmates, "Always keep Jesus in front of you, and know you can always lean on him."
"And always remember, life is better when you have a soul mate and not a cell mate," Becca added.
Seemingly in the twinkling of an eye, diplomas were received, mortarboards flew in the air and confetti poppers burst as another class passed into the annals of one of the county's oldest schools.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill School graduates class of 2016 (PHOTOS, VIDEO)