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The ceremony for the graduating class will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the school鈥檚 stadium. Friends and family will watch as students are handed a diploma and enter into the next phase of their lives.

On of those students will be Connor Dunford, a Hardy resident that has lived in Franklin County most of his life. His father served in the U.S. Marine Corps, which led to him moving around a lot in his early years before his family settled in the area and he entered the third grade.

During his time in school Dunford developed a passion for music. He joined the band in middle school, opting to play the alto saxophone.

He recalled being shown the instrument for the first time in elementary school. The middle school band director visited looking for people to join band class.

鈥淪axophone was the only instrument I could really get a sound out of,鈥� Dunford said. He later learned his mother was also a saxophone player during her time in high school.

鈥淚t started really simply and it just grew from there,鈥� Dunford said.

It is something he continued into high school, participating in marching band. His last two years in high school he earned the position of drum major, leading the band.

Dunford has garnered a long list of accomplishments during his time in band. He reached the top spot of first chair saxophone for the district multiple years. He has also played in the All-Virginia Symphonic Band.

That passion for music was not only for playing it, but also composing it. He formed a hobby of writing his own music, eventually publishing two of his pieces earlier this year. One was performed by students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in April.

While composing music seems difficult, Dunford admitted he was able to get a better understanding after learning to play the piano. Each key on the piano produced different notes and chords coming together similar to each instrument in a band.

Dunford was also assisted by modern computer software that allowed him to tinker with each part of an arrangement and see how it sounds. He admitted he couldn鈥檛 imagine writing the pieces without the help of the software.

鈥淭hat was actually my saving grace,鈥� Dunford said. 鈥淢usic notations on a score through some of that software,鈥� he added that most all modern composers have moved to using computers.

Dunford鈥檚 love for music led him to decide on a career in music. He will be attending James Madison University this fall where he hopes to earn a degree in music education. His goal is to one day be a music teacher.

Music wasn鈥檛 the career path Dunford originally considered. He admits his plan was to be an engineer at one time. He expressed gratitude to friends and teachers who helped him to a career in music.

鈥淭here were a long list of people who helped me along the way,鈥� Dunford said.

As Dunford prepares to make his first steps into adulthood, he expressed confidence in his generation as they go out into the world. His classmates weathered a pandemic five years ago. He said the experience made them stronger and more resilient.

His generation also came up in the rise of social media and AI. Dunford admits they both come with dangers, but his generation may be the most adept at dealing with those challenges.

鈥淪ocial media, while it has some negative effects, there is also so many people in my generation that are very aware of what is happening in the world, politics or whatever that may be,鈥� Dunford said.

With that knowledge of what is going on around them, Dunford said his generation is able to recognize social injustice and be more proactive in working to solve it. They have also been trained to be more skeptical and keenly aware of fake information online, he added.

鈥淗aving the ability to take in the information around them is a huge benefit of how this generation is going to be able to push forward,鈥� Dunford said.