Gloucester High School held its 64th annual commencement Saturday in Kaplan Arena at the College of William and Mary with 378 graduates receiving diplomas.

Of the graduates, 42 represented the top 10 percent of the Class of 2017, with all of them having grade point averages above 4.0, according to the GHS Counseling Department. They were recognized as were the 129 honor graduates overall who had GPAs of 3.5 or higher.

After opening remarks from GHS principal Nate Collins, the audience heard from the 2017 Duke of the Year Jonathan West. West, who is headed to Virginia Military Institute, urged the graduates to utilize their potential.

“Gloucester County, Virginia and the United States of America are depending on you and I,” West said. “If you can impact one person you can change the world.”

Class salutatorian Caroline Kersey said she had high expectations for each member of her class. “Keep an open mind and take time to explore the composition of each p...