JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)—Hampton High School’s Class of 2025 celebrated their graduation on Saturday, marking the end of their journey that was characterized by resilience in the face of Hurricane Helene’s severe challenges.

The hurricane led to extensive flooding in Hampton, inflicting irreversible damage to the high school and casting doubt over the future for its students.

“We didn’t have school for two months,” senior Briley Davis said. “You know, that’s a big thing for us that we missed out on so much.”

When class returned, students were placed at a local elementary school, leaving many seniors concerned about how they would receive their diplomas.

“Graduation, it was like the biggest [question] of them all,” senior Wyatt Robinson said. “Other than where everybody else was going to school.”

“Thinking back to during COVID when they held their graduation at the Stateline Drive-In,” said Davis. “I was worried that we might have to do that again. Nobody knew what our plan would be.”

Students held their heads high while their community reminded them they were Bulldogs, no matter where they were learning from.

“Everybody’s pushing us forward,” Davis said. “Everybody’s happy to see us graduate. They’re happy to see Hampton come back and excel from the disasters that we had. And it’s great.”

“I was also glad that ETSU was like, ‘Hey, we’ll let you use the Martin Center to be able to graduate,'” Robinson said.

Many seniors agreed that weathering the lows brought them a new sense of empowerment.

“We know that we can go through treacherous roads and still make it out through the end,” Davis said.

“If they made it through this year, they can make it through anything,” Hampton High School Principal Kayla Clawson said.

Clawson said that the school is working to rebuild and hopes future classes have a more ‘normal’ experience.