Elk Lake grads keep believin’

BY PAT FARNELLI

The Elk Lake High School Class of 2011’s motto was “Don’t Stop Believin'” and it has served the class well, as 112 students reached their commencement milestone Saturday in the school gym.

Emily Mowry, class president, was the first of many to refer to the big yellow school bus pulling up on the first day of kindergarten, then junior high orientation, then the big events and academic freedom of high school.

“No matter what tomorrow brings, be it the simplest path or a road wrought with twists and turns, today we share an achievement,” she said.

Valedictorian Brad Moore wryly accounted his two unsuccessful attempts to qualify for the school’s gifted program in elementary school, which did not stop him from attaining the highest grade point average of his senior class.

Moore praised faculty members for their instruction and influence.

“Apart from his many math puns, my trig teacher Mr. Phillips told my class one thing last year that really impacted me. He said, ‘Strive only to be good, and you will fall short at average; strive for excellence and you will fall short at good; but strive for perfection and you will fall short at excellence.'”

Salutatorian Nicholas Marbaker spoke about attending “this little school nestled in the middle of rural Susquehanna County,” and challenged the class to “never forget our humble beginnings here at Elk Lake.”

Chemistry teacher Thom Kotch gave the class a challenging, humorous address.

Billy Guenter, who endlessly promoted and supported his classmates and the district in general received the school’s first ever  Principal’s Award.

Elk Lake graduating seniors: Daniel Adams, Karl Adams, Shannon Agredo, Michael Baldwin, Gabriella Baltzley, Brandon Barnes, Cara Bazin, Kadeem Beason, Michael Bedell, Robert Benscoter, Jacob Bliss, Jacob Boner, Brandon Brewer, Ivan Brooks, Benjamin Burridge, Mark Bush, Bowan Bushnell, Sean Carney, Greta Cave, Christie Cokely, Hunter Cole, Peter Cooper, Carol Corter, Casey Corter, John Cron, Brooke Darling, Edward Darling, Ryan Depew, Mikayla Douglas, Michelle Drogan, Dylan Ellis, Dylan Ely, Timothy Fassett, Devin Fiorentino, Allison Fisher, Emily Gacha, Cynthia Good, Crystal Greene, Bryan Grosvenor, Lauren Gruver, William Guenter, Kelsey Hermick, Stacey Hibbard, Richard Himko, Briana Hollenbeck, Jeffrey Horvath, Cody Howey, David Jensen, Timothy Jensen, Chelsea Karabin, Mara Kerr, Bryan Ketcham, Joshua Kiefer, Stephanie Krukowski, Holden Lunger, Jessica MacDonald, Nicholas Marbaker, Valerie Maye, Sammantha McMicken, Kelsey Mills, Samantha Milnes, Katherine Mitchell, Bradley Moore, Emily Mowry, Tory Newhart, Leonna Noble, Christopher O’Brien, Ben Oliver, Alyssa Pasquali, Megan Phillips, Ashley Raines, Edward Raines, Joseph Rogers III, Alexander Route, Stephany Schuler, Cassandra Sekely, Shea Skinner, Haley Smith, Sierra Smith, Mark Smurkowski, Theresa Smurkowski, Christine Solsman, Benjamin Stang, Kurt Steele, Sarah Sutton, Carolyn Teetsel, Ashley Thompson, Jerri Traver, April Trible, Mazie Tyler, Cassie VanEtten, Dylan Villeneuve, Ryan Visavati, Lisa Waldron, Elizabeth Walter, Kirsten Warfle, Theodore Warholic, Johnathan Warner, Victoria Wasilewski, Shane Wayman, Shane Welsh, Andrea Wheeler, Joseph Woolcock and Michael Zeyher.