Harding seniors surprised with free suits, dresses for graduation, thanks to CMS leader
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Interim principal Ericia Turner raised over $45,000 to outfit Harding’s 201 seniors.
- Turner hired a private tailor to make suits; students also received shirts, ties and.
- Harding is a Title I school with at least 75 percent of students on free or reduced lunch.
Harding High senior Jacob Banks thought that he was walking to the school’s gym to pick up his cap and gown for graduation a couple of weeks ago.
But Banks — and all 201 of Harding’s seniors — were in for a big surprise.
Interim principal Ericia Turner, normally executive athletic director for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, had raised more than $45,000 and hired a private tailor to make suits for the entire senior class. Female students had a choice between dresses or pantsuits. The students also got shirts, ties and shoes.
Harding, which has about 1,350 students, is a Title 1 school, meaning at least 75 percent of the students are on free and reduced lunch programs.
The students said Turner’s efforts really meant a lot.
“I was blessed. I was happy for it, man,” said Banks, 18, who played football, baseball and wrestled in the 2025-26 school year. “Me and my mom were about to go and get a suit. So I was just blessed to get that, and they fit perfectly.”
Banks said the new attire made the school’s graduation at the Truliant Ampitheather even more special.
“That made us look good on graduation,” Banks said. “A lot of the kids, it was their first time getting a suit, you know. So it meant a lot. It made us a lot more comfortable with graduating. It made us feel more, you know, just more outgoing, more vibrant.
“It made us feel good. It made us feel smooth.”
It all started with a dream
In late February, Turner was temporarily moved to Harding, starting a five-month assignment, and the very first day she was on campus, she had a vision.
“I wanted every senior to have a black suit for graduation,” Turner said. “I mean, everybody needs a suit, for an internship, a job interview, a college presentation. And me being a leader, I wanted to have an impact on the lives of these kids. I thought to myself, ‘I’m only here for a few months, and what impact can I have?’”
The only problem with her dream?
How to play for it.
Suits aren’t cheap, and Turner needed dozens — and dozens — of suits. .
Having run athletics in CMS for several years, Turner had dealt with many corporate sponsors and reached out to them. The Carolina Panthers were the first to make a donation, but more followed, including donations from Honeywell and some employees in the CMS transportation department. And the folks at Jane’s Fund — who help families with children battling cancer and students who attend underfunded schools — brought Turner’s vision across the finish line with one last check.
Turner said she was so excited to see her dream come true — and to see the kids get their outfits and try them on.
“They didn’t know me, and they didn’t know about this until they picked up the suits,” Turner said. “A lot of them thanked me, and parents and grandparents came to school to pick them up. It was a group effort. Teachers had to hem pants to make sure they fit. I didn’t realize that a lot of teachers could sew, but we had three or four teachers making sure that those suits fit. I’m just super grateful.”
‘A day to remember’
Harding’s graduation was in the morning on Friday, June 12.
The kids came in with their new suits and dresses — and there were plenty of smiles. Harding athletic director Jermaine Walker happily spent a lot of time teaching some of the Rams’ young men how to tie a tie during rehearsal. Watching the students at graduation, Walker said he felt a sense of pride.
“When (Turner) told me the vision, I didn’t see it at first,” Walker said. “But I saw it when the suit guy came to set up. They started delivering the suits the Monday before graduation. You could see it in the kids’ eyes, like this (graduation) was going to be a day to remember. And it kind of pivoted a little bit to a career thing, like you can have a suit for your first interview. And, man, the kids bought into it. It was a really great thing.”
It was hot on graduation day. Walker and other Harding officials were offering to hold the kids’ jackets, since they were putting their robes over their new shirts.
“They wouldn’t let me take that jacket off of them,” Walker said. “They wanted to show them off. It was something to remember.”
