Two members of the class of 2021 will not physically be with their classmates at graduation. Daniel Cruz Serrano was lost in 2018, and Carter Smith in 2019. Friends and peers continue to mourn the loss of these two lives.

Students remember Smith’s bright sense of humor and attitude. They think fondly of Cruz Serrano’s kindness.

South Lakes provided yearbooks for students to sign for Smith and Cruz Serraro. As students filed to the small table at the back of the gymnasium to leave messages after graduation practice, the number of messages and the contemplativeness of seniors who left notes was a testament to the mark they left on the community of students.

While Carter and Daniel won’t walk across the stage at graduation, their memories live on with their classmates and they remain members of the class of 2021 — once a Seahawk, always a Seahawk.