Reflecting on the moment at Mars Area High School graduation
ADAMS TWP — At the packed Mars Athletic Complex, more than 200 Mars Area High School seniors donned their caps and gowns and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at the school’s commencement ceremony Monday, June 3.
This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the high school has used the athletic complex for graduation.
Starting during the pandemic, the graduation ceremony took place at the school’s parking lots until this year, when the district decided to return to the athletic complex as the venue.
On Monday, the bleachers were bursting with excitement as the seniors became graduates and alumni.
“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous,” senior Adela Schrecengost said. “I don’t feel like a senior.”
She plans on studying for a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in secondary education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Class of 2024 vice president Vivek Dadi said the moment felt “surreal.” Vivek will be attending Penn State University to study computer science.
Senior Tyler Raabe said he felt “pretty excited” about graduating as well and said his favorite high school memory is gym basketball. He will be attending Penn State to study finance.
Class of 2024 president Nora Solich’s speech focused on the phrase “it takes a village” and illustrated how she and her classmates are surrounded by the encouraging people who are their village. She also mentioned how the seniors are at a turning point, and she ended her speech encouraging her classmates to treat people with kindness.
Valedictorian Annelie Gustafsson discussed how her high school experience flew by, and that although she and her classmates cannot choose how fast time passes, they can choose how to spend it. She ended her speech by telling her classmates to “treasure their memories” and to “love fiercely.”
Nicholas Ferrari, the student-selected speaker, connected graduation to the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. He said his classmates should take “the road less traveled,” and that they cannot let society define who they are. He also reflected on his time in high school and how not confining himself to the box of “musical theater person” allowed him to connect with others.
The final speaker, district superintendent Mark Gross, told students to reflect upon the moment of graduation. In a notable moment, he told the students to look toward the stands, smile and wave at the people there supporting them as they graduate. He explained that the people in the stands are the most important people to them.
“Please never lose sight that the most important yardstick with which you measure success is how you treat other people,” he said as he concluded his speech.
