Shippensburg Area Senior High School’s Class of 2006 gave the final performance of its high school career Wednesday evening as graduates received their diplomas at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center.
The Class of 2006 is the first class to graduate from the new facility on the campus of Shippensburg University.
Senior class president Rylan Good welcomed family and friends to the 124th annual commencement program.
“Tonight we celebrate the education process that each of the students seated here this evening began many years ago,†Good said. He spoke of the phases class members have gone through so far, beginning with the first days in kindergarten, moving on to elementary school, to middle school and finally to high school.
“Little did we realize that some of the best years of our lives would be spent in high school,†Good said, “and now here we are, about to graduate and move on to the next phase of our lives.â€
He congratulated the class and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Sharps, under the direction of Beth Dickinson, performed an a cappella rendition of “The Battle of Jericho†that was followed by opening comments by school board president William Gould.
Speakers introduced
Shippensburg Area School District Superintendent Jacqueline Lesney introduced class speakers Byron Rockwell, Laura Schale and Sarah Wickard.
Rockwell is the son of Paul and Dodie Rockwell. He likened school years with reading a long, good book. “We, the Class of 2006, are about to finish our career in public school. The story of the past 13 years is one in which school has played a huge role, and each member of this class has been a character,†Rockwell said. “Although some of us, like myself, have come into the story in the later chapters and some of us have left to become parts of other stories, we have all shared common experiences and have at some point, (been) part of the entire story.
“Now the final pages of our story are being read and the book will soon come to an end,†Rockwell said.
“Be ready and excited to face this next chapter in our lives.â€
“Five, four, three, two, one … we have lift-off,†said Laura Schale, daughter of Edmond and Nancy Schale and the second of three student speakers. “These words have been used countless times to launch NASA astronauts on an incredible journey into the unknown.
“These men … do not know what lies ahead of them. They do not know the choices they will have to make, the situations that will arise, or even what the next day will hold,†she said. “We have been counting down for the last 12 years and we are now at ‘one.’ As we are all graduating, we too are launching into a new and unfamiliar stage of our lives.
“ … The lessons we have learned, the challenges we have overcome, and the experiences we have gained will all provide the fuel for us to begin this journey,†Schale said. “We are blasting off. We are beginning our journey into the unknown.â€
Sarah Wickard, the daughter of Lonnie and Vicki Wickard, urged her fellow classmates to remember their roots, learn from their past and make tomorrow a better day.
“In essence, every day we live we are still learning how to walk,†she said. “Each new adventure is a step in life, a step we have to take in faith. Sometimes we make a wrong step and fall and we have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and press on in the journey of life.â€
She encouraged her classmates to hang on to their roots as they begin this new chapter in their lives. “Remember the memories where your greatest lessons in life were started,†she said, and she challenged everyone to take hold of every opportunity.
“Don’t let the journey end here. Be happy in what you do and never take anything for granted. You have been blessed with the gift of life and you have been blessed for the journey. Life is a wild ride, so hold on for the journey of a lifetime.â€
Following the speeches, Principal Fred Shilling recognized 73 honor students in the class and announced the salutatorian and valedictorian.
Daniel Brubaker was named salutatorian with a grade point average of 4.09, and Sarah Kernan was named class valedictorian with a GPA of 4.10. Brubaker will attend college in New York state, while Kernan will continue her education at Penn State University.
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Source: cumberlink.com
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