Saluting the Class of 2022: Montrose Area

Montrose Area’s secretary of the Class of 2022 Cassidy Beeman greeted the commencement day audience on Saturday like she had started the school day for the past two years.

“Good morning, Montrose! and here are your daily announcements for June 11th, 2022.  It is day 2,340,” Beeman said.

She continued, “Thank you for coming today to celebrate both the ending and the beginning of this time of our lives. For some of us, today is the end of an arduous battle that took everything we had to conquer.  High school was not easy for everyone, and COVID-19” only made it more difficult.  Whether you are seated in the front row or still surprised you were issued a gown at all, we made it. High school is over.”

Beeman said that the day was also a “beginning,” with some knowing their life’s plan and others embarking on an unknown journey. “Most importantly, though, today is our day. It is a day like no other. We will all leave here, and the significance of this milestone will become one of many accomplishments we will remember with pride,” she said.

Salutatorian Kerry Tometchko admitted to the audience of parents and staff, “you were right. It went by fast, faster than we expected.”

“No more lockers, no more Google classroom, no more Montrose school lunches,” she said.

The salutatorian continued, “We’re once again small fish in a big pond, trying to find where we fit in an ever-changing world. It’s scary and overwhelming but I know we can do it.”

Tometchko said, “Our entire school career has been us getting the short end of the stick. We went through the switch to PA Common Core, where we missed some of the crucial foundations of basic school knowledge. Some of you went through a bad home life, where the priority was not when you were going to do homework, but instead when were you going to be able to get your next meal.

“We went through a pandemic and had to continuously adapt to mandates, quarantine rules and online classes.

“Looking back on what we have endured throughout these past years, we should be proud… Everyone that you will witness walk across this stage has fought hard to be here, and that hard work is over. And new hard work starts tomorrow.”

Valedictorian Samantha Nikula advised her classmates to “keep your inner child alive.”

“I know with us going into the ‘real world’ now, it can feel a bit sudden. I mean, we go from being supervised a big chunk of the day every weekday, to being adults who are capable of supervising someone else. But I’m telling you, please don’t let the voice inside your head telling you to have childish fun from time to time fade away,” Nikula said.

She also told them to take time for themselves. “You have so much time to smell the roses and take a break. You don’t have to work yourself to the bone. Similar to that, you don’t have to worry that it’s too late in life to start something new, learn how to knit, start a business, or make new friends. Experiences don’t have age limits. If you spend all your time worrying about what comes next, you’ll miss so many great things.”

Montrose Area Class of 2022

Annabel Adams; Cecelia Adams; Melanie Amato; Mia Amorino; Austin Anderson; Kody Arnold; Alyssa Aukema; Olivia Aukema; Sudney Babicek; Zachary Barnum; Cassidy Beeman; Noah Bendict; Hunter Birtch; Annika Bixby; Richard Brown; Madison Bucksbee; Lilith Calby; Ema-Lee Craven; Hannah Cundey; Chase DeGraw; Haley DelSordo; Layla Diaz; Mason Dieck; Ian Dorval; Adam Dovin; Jesse Flaherty; Devon Ford; Hannah Foster; Holden Frystak; Nicle Furman; Neil Gamble; Declan Giannone; Rylie Gilbert-Hewitt; Aspen Goff; Olivia Guinane; Nicholas Harder; Alexis Hawley; Angelina Hird; Justin Holgash; Cuara Hundley; Mark Ingraham III; Cameron Johnson; Dylan Kamansky; Kyle Kaminski; Sierra Knight; John Krisko; Breana LaRue; Cody Leonard; Brandon Lewis; Christopher Lewis; Corey Lindsey; Marissa Manzek; Aiden Martin; Margaret Nebzydoski; Samantha Nikula; Michael O’Brien; Hayley Packer; Dorcas Page; Elizabeth Palmer; James Pardo; Alexis Pratt; Jewelia Ralston; Zeke Raub; Brandon Richards; Wilbur Rossey; Kristyn Rubio; George Russell; Matthew Rytherford-Hodge; Mahki Salabsky; Amelia Santora; Angelo Scarfalloto; Cody Sechrist; Grace Sherwood; Payten Sherwood; Justin Smith; Tangi Smith; Megan Snow; Justin Stanley; Colby Starzec; Grace Steele; Nathaniel Stewart; Payton Strickland; Mallory Thompson; William Thompson; Kerry Tometchko; Chrisiyah Townsel; Jordan Traver; David Undercoffler; Samantha Warner; Kenneth Warren; Hannah Washburn; Connor Watkins; Tyler Whalen; Mackenzie White; McKenzie Wilkes.

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