Hundreds of proud parents and other family members gathered at Knoch High School for their seniors' final day as high school students.

A total of 226 students graduated from Knoch Friday night, feeling a mixture of excitement, pride and gratitude to the people who had helped them get this far.

“I'm excited for what's ahead,” said Mike McCarty. He's going to John Carroll University to play baseball and study finance.

“We're excited for the next step,” said Chris McCarty, Mike's father.

Before the ceremony, students and their families congregated outside the building talking about school days past and what the future has in store for them.

Bob Gigliotti said he has a long-term plan, inspired by one of his teachers at Knoch.

“I'm going to BC3 for a year or two because it's affordable and you can transfer out to bigger school,” he said. “I'm going for a four-year degree and become a teacher.”

But he doesn't want to stop there.

“My plan is to go on for another four years and get my Ph.D., and maybe do something on a collegiate level,” he said.

Gigliotti said he was inspired by his history teacher Bradley Pflugh.

“He's from Slippery Rock, he has [written] a couple of books,” he said. “He really inspired me to do what he did.”

“I'm very proud of him,” Gigliotti's father, Bob Sr., said.

For teachers, graduation is always an exciting time, but they know they'll also miss their students when the next school year comes around.

“I think it's very exciting,” said Robin Stahlman, a longtime substitute. “Tuesday was my last day and, well, it was a little tearful.”

Stahlman started working at Knoch last September as a learning support teacher in English.

“My kids are great and I'll miss them, she said.

The time for the ceremony arrived and the students gathered. After the welcoming music and addresses, three students gave speeches to their classes about life, the future and going forward from here.

Madeline Czekalski spoke about the clichés we often hear at ceremonies like these and how they come up so often because they are true.

She centered her speech on several including “make mistakes and learn from them,” and “we are the future.”

She said clichés like these, even if overused, stick with people and often remain true despite overuse.

Amber Griffith spoke about time, quoting George Harrison on the importance of appreciating the present.

“The present is hard to grasp because it's so … here,” she said.

But the immediacy of the present does not make it any less important to hold on to. Griffith urged her fellow graduates not to get stuck in the past and to enjoy what's happening now.

Finally, William Morgus spoke on the importance of taking responsibility for your life and going your own way.

“We're expected to choose our own way, which isn't always a simple decision,” he said.

He encouraged his classmates not to make the comfortable choices but to pursue your passions.

“We can be bold,” he said.

He also expressed his and the class's gratitude to everyone who helped them get so far.

“We've all been blessed with wonderful teachers,” he said.