On the city's eastern border

Led by God's great hand

Proudly stands our alma mater

Dearest in the land

We will ever sing thee praises

Striving without fail

Here's to thee our alma mater

Robins High all Hail!!

As a proud graduate of Warner Robins High School in Warner Robins, Georgia, my alma mater is something that I know nine ways to Sunday. It is part of the traditions that held the school together. The traditions of Demon Country and Demon Valley and the Thursday Night Bonfire and Spirit Week and the faculty and staff made Demon Country more than a school. The traditions made the school a home for so many. But, recently, Demon Country lost one of its own.

Steve Monday was a graduate who eventually became principal at the school in 2005 passed away on April 26. On that day, a dark cloud hovered over Demon Country. But, at the funeral, we were all reminded that the spirit of Mr. Monday will live on no matter what because at Warner Robins High School, Tradition Never Graduates. For WRHS students and staff and alumni alike, the phrase Tradition Never Graduates is not just three simple words, it is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that Steve Monday helped to flourish.

As any graduate can attest, WRHS instills its students with an immense sense of humility and patience and courage and dignity and kindness. Students know what is expected of them from day one. Each student who walks the halls knows they are standing on the shoulders of giants like Steve Monday. It is the sense of pride that Steve Monday and his staff had in the students that kept the school afloat, even when the mascot was attacked for being satanic. FYI, the mascot is the Demon in honor of the 7th Fighter Squadron from World War II which was also known as "The Screamin' Demons." We are not a satanic cult, despite what our rivals might say or think during Spirit Week.

It is the traditions that the staff instilled in the students that created a camaraderie even before we graduated. I will always be a proud Demon. I will always rep my red and black. I will always chant D-E-M-OOOOO-N-S from the stands of McConnell Talbert because it is tradition and Tradition Never Graduates.