Newest SRHS alumni reminisce
CENTER TWP — The details surrounding a high school graduation — caps and gowns, pictures with classmates and family members, and speeches from administrators and students — were easily taken for granted before this year.
Members of Slippery Rock Area High School's Class of 2020 were unsure until recently if they would get to experience such things.
But for the first time in nearly three months, they came together Thursday night at the Starlight Drive-In Theater in Butler.
For graduate Gabriel Smithbauer, the event was not just a time to celebrate his own accomplishments.
“It means the world to me to be here and see my grandmother (Kathy Codispot),” he said. “She has cancer and we weren't sure. She's very happy to be here.
“My best memories from high school involve my classmates and playing football,” said Gabriel, who will study plastics engineering at Penn State Behrend. “I really enjoyed playing football.”
The last day the high school's halls filled with students was Friday, March 13. They learned after leaving that day that they would not return the following Monday.
In fact, they never would.
Last month, many seniors expressed their desire to be together as a class for graduation.
“This is one of the only ways we could make that happen while following the health guidelines,” said Cory Hake, principal at the senior high. “This was a challenging year, but the kids are doing the most with the hand they've been dealt.”
“It's unconventional, but still exciting to see everyone together,” said Doug Allen, whose son, Jack, was one of the school's 166 seniors.
Time away from school gave graduate Rebekah Myers, who is headed to Indiana University of Pennsylvania's culinary school in Punxsutawney, a chance to reflect.
“My teachers were strict, but they taught us a lot,” she said. “How to be responsible and deal with deadlines, like it's going to be in college. I wrote three of my teachers letters, just to thank them.”
In his speech, salutatorian Vance Fowler reminded his fellow graduates that they didn't arrive at this point without the help of others, and they shouldn't expect to achieve anything on their own. “You didn't do it alone. You couldn't do it alone,” he said. “Whether it be family, teachers, coaches or even friends, we've all had people who helped us grow. Recognize them and what they have done for you and thank them.”
Just before each senior was recognized, valedictorian Kayla Daugherty offered this message to the Class of 2020: “Each one of us has faced our own walls in our path, but we all shared one thing in common — this school. It was a place to share laughs, memories, smiles and lots of slow claps.”
