On Friday evening, graduating seniors at Hampton High School will begin the next chapter of their lives.

The school will host a graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday in the school’s gymnasium.

The Hampton High Class of 2017 includes approximately 120 graduates, according to school Counselor Joanna Orr. That number could fluctuate as some of the seniors at the school have requirements to complete in order to be eligible to graduate, Orr said.

The selection of the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the graduating class had not been finalized as of Tuesday afternoon, Hampton High School Principal Jeff Bradley said, adding the school considers many other factors along with the students’ grades when selecting those honors.

Many of those who will graduate on Friday have already got a jump start on their post-secondary education, Orr said.

“We’ve got a lot of students who already have college credits through dual enrollment,” Orr said. The school also has several students who have been working to continue their education through the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Elizabethton while still in high school. Some of those students will be graduating high school with only a short time left before they complete their technical certification, Orr said.

“We really have some fantastic students,” Orr said.

That sentiment was shared by Bradley.

“They are really a super group of young men and young women,” Bradley said of the seniors. “They have worked really hard to prepare themselves for life after high school.”

“A large number of them have already been accepted to some prestigious colleges and universities,” Bradley continued. “The future looks bright for them.”