SV seniors look to the future at 2022 commencement
JACKSON TWP — Rain and gray skies weren’t nearly enough to stop the Seneca Valley class of 2022 from celebrating their graduation Thursday.
Despite wet weather for part of the ceremony, the seniors filed into NexTier stadium to an audience of proud parents, siblings, extended family and friends.
For the class of 2022 — the third class to graduate amid the COVID-19 pandemic — the event represented somewhat of a return to normalcy, and a restoration of the regular celebration of milestones that make up the high school experience.
During an approximately 90-minute ceremony, students listened to words of encouragement from their peers, district staff and administrators.
Superintendent of Schools Tracy Vitale spoke about resiliency, persistence, unity and finding perspective in her speech to the graduates. She praised the students for maintaining their focus despite distractions, difficulties and an overload of information.
“All I needed to do is to step into your classroom and my perspective was again in balance,” Vitale said. “You reminded me and our staff that you were here to do the work. You were willing to put in the time and effort and make things happen. You accomplished goals, both personal and academic. You have a proper perspective on what it takes to succeed, and you showed what that means to all of us.”
Vitale reminded students to maintain perspective in their life after graduation.
“I wish you a life of learning, growing, and triumphant tomorrows,” she said.
Student speaker-at-large Ava Katzenell, who will attend American University to study politics, pre-law and gender and sexuality studies, recalled the difficulties that the pandemic and current events had presented for the class of 2022.
“I saw about halfway through the year what everyone’s mental health was like. We were tired and afraid, and every single day was difficult. A lot of us really didn’t think we could make it through to the end of the year, but we did,” Katzenell said.
“When it looked like there was no hope left, everyone banded together to create something beautiful, and that beautiful thing was normalcy,” she added. “When normal seemed impossible, we made the best of every situation we were given.”
Seneca Valley Senior High School Principal Robert Ceh called attention to the American flag flying at half-staff in honor of the victims of the school shooting in Texas.
“Our hearts are with the educators, students, families and community during this time,” he said before the crowd observed a moment of silence.
For many graduates, the commencement ceremony itself felt like a sign of progress.
“It feels a lot like what we’ve had in the past years, and it feels a lot more special, more than I feel like the last two years have had,” said graduating senior James Halyama, who will attend IUP and major in criminology.
Though the celebration of graduates took place in different forms over the past two years, this year’s commencement felt more “real” for some students.
“There’s been a lot of practice and preparation, because we didn’t know what we were doing. My sister, when she graduated, she was the last one to have a real graduation,” said Lindsey Burkhiser, who will attend West Virginia University for marketing and event planning. “This has been a really big step for us, I feel like, and I’m really excited that everyone is all in one place.”
The pandemic impacted the class of 2022’s journey to graduation, students added, though for some, a de-emphasis on testing scores was helpful in the college application process.
“I think (applying to colleges) went pretty smoothly — it went better than expected,” said Nathaniel Nuzzo, a graduate who will attend Pitt to study pre-medicine and neuroscience. “Some people were able to get into other colleges due to not having to have SAT or ACT scores. Overall, I think it went really well.”
Graduating senior Grace Abbott, who will attend Kent State University to study fashion merchandising, said that she was looking forward to the opportunities that the world after high school will bring.
“I’m so excited. I have been ready to graduate for so long,” Abbott said. “I am really ready for the future, and for new opportunities and what’s to come. It’s definitely scary, but I’m looking forward to it.”
