On May 15, Zamaria Anderson returned to the place where her warrior path began.
Anderson, who graduates from Grovetown High School as a Warrior on May 22, joined 19 other one-time Warren Road Elementary School Warriors for a celebratory program, giving a few words of encouragement before taking a final walk down the Richmond County school’s halls.
“Failure is not the end,” said Zamaria, who plans to attend Florida A&M University and major in political science. “Failure means you tried.”
She encouraged them to keep trying and they would find success.
Zamaria recalled her time at Warren Road, under the watchful eye of Principal Sherry Phillips and employees such as her grandmother who supported her in her academic journey.
Having her grandmother at the school with her gave Zamaria an added sense of security and provided another layer of motivation to stay on top of her grades.
“If my grades started slipping, she’d say she was going to retire,” causing Zamaria to buckle down.
She also told the third through fifth graders sitting in the cafeteria to believe in themselves.
“Some of the greatest things you will do in life will happen because you believed in yourself before anyone else did,” she said.
While the program was a celebration of the students who’d spent their elementary years at Warren Road and are days away from high school graduation, it was also a bittersweet day as Phillips is retiring at the end of the school year.
Zamaria gave Phillips flowers and thanked her for her leadership.
“Your impact will still be felt,” she said.
After the program, the 19 students who are graduating from schools such as Laney, the Academy of Richmond County and Westside, marched down the halls to the cheers of the pupils who lined the hallways shaking pom-poms and holding signs.
