Brian Hagberg
RUSSELL, Pa. – “Keep moving forward. When it’s time to go, it’s time. Nothing lasts forever.” – Stan Lee
Eisenhower’s Class of 2022 couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate turn of phrase to adopt as its class quote. After everything this group of graduates endured during its four years in high school, it fits them to a T.
This is a class, after all, that got to experience just one “normal” academic year during their high school tenure.
“There’s no argument that our years here at Eisenhower have been a wild ride,” Class Valedictorian Sydney Cronmiller said. “Freshman year was really our only ‘real’ year of high school. And freshman year is awkward in itself. With that being said, we should be extremely proud of everything we have accomplished. Life threw us a curveball and we didn’t back down.”
See Cronmiller’s full remarks:
The Class of 2022’s freshman year ended in June 2019. By March 2020 the COVID pandemic was in full swing and schools were shut down for the remainder of the year. The 2020-2021 school year featured a nearly month-long remote learning period, and was full of uncertainty from Day 1. The 2021-2022 year saw an on-again, off-again, will we be shut down, or won’t we debate over masks and in-person instruction.
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“You have already persevered amid the pandemic to find and develop different ways to continue your education,” Eisenhower Principal Ericka Alm said. “It has really been an honor to support you during this extraordinary time in history. You persevered and you succeeded through all of it.”
See Alm’s full speech:
Class Salutatorian Michael Jones described that journey of perseverance in his address. The studying, the classwork, the assignments, essays, art projects, athletic practices, musical rehearsals, and other academic and extracurricular ventures, all undertaken during one of the most uncertain and tumultuous times in recent history came to a head Friday night.
“All the hard work pays off tonight,” Jones said. “This is the starting point of the rest of our lives. We will be going off into the world on our own.”
See Jones’ full address:
The Warren County School District and Superintendent Amy Stewart offered some parting words of encouragement for graduates.
“If I can offer any advice, I would say that whether you are still working out what your dreams of the future are or know exactly what you want and are ready to start that new chapter, be sure to keep yourself moving forward. Keep yourself open to change, take the opportunities that present themselves to you, and don’t let the pressure of having to know exactly what you are going to do govern your life. Enjoy the process of continuing to explore who you are and what you want to be!”
