$41+ mil new BHS record; Haynes among 486 grads
Senior beats brain cancer, which dates back to age 3
“She was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer at age 3,” said her father, Jeff Haynes, after Madison and her BHS classmates completed the school’s Commencement Ceremony in BHS’s John H. Burnette Stadium — which included a roughly 50 minute rain/storm delay — Thursday evening, May 15.
“We’re just super proud of her,” Madison’s mother, Pamella Haynes, said. “We didn’t know right before her 4th birthday if she was going to be here. We almost lost her multiple times. So it’s just wonderful for her to be here.
“She’s several years being cancer-free now,” the mother added. “Yes, over 14 years.”
“And over 14 years later, she graduates from Bearden High School as an Honor student,” Jeff Haynes said. “God is good.”
“Locally, she had the surgery with Dr. Harris, the neurosurgeon at (East Tennessee) Children’s Hospital; and then she did her proton radiation at MD Anderson (Center) in Houston.”
Also on hand from the family was Madison’s younger brother, Jameson Haynes, a BHS junior.
Other Class of 2025 highlights
The BHS Class of 2025 “has excelled in many ways,” said principal Deborah Sayers in her Commencement address. “One hundred and thirty-four seniors (29 percent of the senior class) earned a 4.0 or better grade-point average. BHS 2025 graduates will be continuing their education at 75 different colleges and universities in 22 different states and two countries outside of the United States — Ireland and Sweden.
“... The Class of 2025 was also rewarded for their academics and achievements,” Sayers continued. “Seniors received scholarship offers totaling $41,753,615. This is a new record for Bearden High School and is over 2.8 million more than last year.
