Thomas Edwards, Shannon Donovan and Taylor Dolniak take a picture to capture their graduation night Friday at Knoch High School. The Class of 2014 was about 240 students strong, and many graduates discussed the positive impact certain teachers had made in their lives.

JEFFERSON TWP — Even though their high school careers are over, many Knoch High School seniors will remember the positive impact certain teachers have made during their formative years.

Nearly 240 students turned their tassels at commencement Friday evening in the gymnasium.

Wearing her golden yellow cap and gown, Katerina Fissore gave her business teacher Anne Wargo a hug in front of her classroom and snapped a quick selfie with her phone, minutes before it was time for graduates to line up for commencement.

“She's my school mom,” Fissore said. “She goes out of her way to help you.”

Fissore, who plans to attend Slippery Rock University to major in elementary and special education, said some students this year have even gone as far as calling one of her most influential teachers “Mama Wargo.”

Wargo said watching students graduate each year is bittersweet, but it's mostly a rewarding experience.

“It's really a great school with great kids,” she said.

Meanwhile, for Jodi Rafalko, it's her choir teacher, Michael Sypien, who she'll remember most, especially since he taught her throughout middle school and high school.

“He taught me about performance, confidence, life,” Rafalko said, who's heading to Penn State University to study labor relations.

Because of her continued involvement in choir and competitions, Sypien evolved into more of a mentor role for Rafalko over time.

“I learned the most from choir,” she said.

One student's most influential teacher is from the fifth grade. Brandon Vargo said his teacher from then, Krisann Lambert, has remained close for almost half his life.“Our families got close after fifth grade,” Vargo said, who will study biology and psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. “She wrote me a letter of recommendation, helped me in class, whatever I needed.”He also played sports with her son. And naturally, they're Facebook friends, too.Students and administrators cited well known quotes from people such as Robert Frost, Maya Angelou and Abraham Lincoln to show students their lives are just beginning, but for many students, it's teachers who initially form that path that motivates students to plan for the future.