THOMASVILLE — Colquitt County student and 2025 graduate Andrew Strickland received the Headmaster’s Award at Brookwood School during its recent graduation ceremonies.

The Headmaster’s Award goes to the student who embodies the highest ideals of character, service, and involvement. It is the highest honor that the Brookwood faculty can bestow upon a student.

“Andrew represents all that we hope a Brookwood student will be,” Headmaster Randy Watts said. “(He) has demonstrated loyalty and love for the school, is involved as a leader, is a participant in academic and extracurricular activities, is caring and considerate of classmates and faculty, and is a worthy role model for younger students.”

The Brookwood School commencement ceremony honored the 36 students in the school’s graduating class and the students had much to celebrate. As has been the case each year, Brookwood boasts a 100% college acceptance rate.

Students from the class of 2025 will be attending universities and colleges including New York University in London, Georgia Tech. Also, The University of Georgia, Cornell University, the University of Virginia, and Washington and Lee University.

Overall, this senior class received $5.79 million in scholarship money, excluding HOPE. Over half of the class received $50,000 or more in scholarship dollars.

The speaker for the ceremony was Dr. Melissa Lyle. Lyle is a 2005 graduate of Brookwood. A trailblazer in the field of medicine, Lyle is an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Florida. There, she also serves as the Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies. She is also an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

“It is an honor to return 20 years later to the school that ignited my passion for science and helped provide me with the tools to become the physician and person I am today,” she said.

She urged students to hold fast to the values instilled in them at Brookwood and to trust the foundation they’ve built. Also she urged them to always aim to “leave the world a bit better” than they found it.

The Brookwood Class of 2025 also includes five student-athletes who will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.

This class has four Eagle Scouts and two National Merit Finalists (both of whom received National Merit Scholarships), and four graduates whose GPAs were the highest in Brookwood’s history.

Academically, the Class of 2025 has demonstrated remarkable achievement including seven AP Scholars, three AP Scholars with Honor, and five AP Scholars with Distinction. The school expects more AP awards this summer. Six students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, and four received the prestigious AP Capstone Diploma.

These students have also made their mark in the arts and athletics including five in Literary competitions, three in One Act, and nine in the all-school musical. Also, 35 of the 36 seniors played Varsity sports during their time at Brookwood.

“Your roots are your foundation. Academically, physically, socially, and spiritually, you have the foundation that you need for success,” said Watts. “You also have wings. You have the skills and confidence to leap out of the nest — the protective comfort of home and school — and soar as high as you wish.”

John Albert Roesel, this year’s valedictorian, emphasized the themes of community, passion, and positivity.

Concluding his address, he spoke to the Class of 2025 saying “There are many mountains of adversities ahead of us, but with community as your backbone, passion as your heart and positivity as your mind, you can climb any mountain.”