While 103 Kutztown Area High School graduating seniors put on their caps and gowns, friends and family gathered in the crowded auditorium and the school band played “One Moment in Time.”
Lined up in the hallway, the Class of 2015 then entered to “Pomp and Circumstance” at the June 4 commencement that featured speeches by the Class President, valedictorian, salutatorian and graduation speaker Stephen Slick, 2015 KHS distinguished alumni.
“Some people say that your high school years are the best of your life. I really hope they’re wrong. I don’t know about you but I seriously hope I didn’t peak at 17,” said Valedictorian Erika Matrone, who plans to attend St. John’s University. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I don’t think anyone sitting here did. I know everyone sitting on this stage is capable of doing something incredible things in the future.”
Noting the good times and all that they accomplished at Kutztown High School, including district, state and championship titles in both athletics and academics, Matrone said, “You haven’t reached your peak yet. It’s only going to get better… the best is yet to come… keep moving forward, keep moving toward that goal and you’ll get there eventually.”
Wishing her fellow graduates the utmost success and happiness in what they do, Matrone said, “Congratulations on what you’ve accomplished. Here’s to the Class of 2015.”
Salutatorian Jacob Mengel, who will attend Elizabethtown College to major in mathematics, feels it is important to realize that in this age they don’t need to go to school, but instead, they get to go to school, noting the many children in other parts of the world who couldn’t even dream of the privileges we have as Americans.
“Be thankful for simply having this tremendous opportunity you’ve had and still you have. The teachers have really wanted us to have a successful high school career… now they want us to have the best lives possible in the future,” said Mengel. “Soon we’re all going to experience a very difficult part of life, living independently. Life is not easy but in some ways it wouldn’t be nearly as fun if it was.”
Mengel encouraged his class to be unselfish, helping others whenever possible. “You’ll probably feel the most fulfillment you’ve ever felt in your life… Little acts of kindness have the potential to impact someone’s life. The point is, keep your eyes open and try to put others before yourself whenever possible. Doing that we can all really make a difference.”
Class President Leah Dietrich talked about their senior year and their future.
“When they told us that senior year would be a breeze, they were lying, but when they told us that our four years in high school would fly by, they were telling the truth,” said Dietrich. “Although the main focus of our high school experience no doubt is education, the lessons we learned shaped us into the person we are and continue to become into the years ahead.”
Dietrich said as students they cannot guarantee they will remember every detail of what they learned in the classroom, “but we will surely not forget the impact of our teachers and experiences had on us. How we deal with different circumstances throughout high school is merely practice for the real deal. It is a true test of your character and reflects the manner in which you will handle situations in your future. Senior year is what we prepared and worked for our entire high school career, the final stretch.”
Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, she said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
“You all have potential to do great things. Believe in yourself and your abilities and you’ll be astounded by what you can accomplish. Class of 2015, here’s to a future of happiness and success,” said Dietrich.
Graduation speaker Stephen Slick, 2015 KHS distinguished alumni from the Class of 1976, spent numerous years working within the national government as an operations officer and operations manager in the Central Intelligence Agency. He was also director of national intelligence programs on the National Security Council, allowing him to work directly with Presidents Bush and Obama.
Sharing memories of his own commencement in 1976, Slick recalls “being relieved that high school was finally over and also mildly anxious about what the future may hold in store. You too should feel proud today and relieved and it’s natural to be a little apprehensive about the future but you shouldn’t be… you have grown up in a safe and supportive community. You have been prepared by caring, engaged teachers in schools that were administered in your best interests. This is a solid foundation and you’ll be just fine.”
Whenever he returns to Kutztown, Slick is reminded of the power of place. He lived all over the United States and half a dozen of the world’s greatest cities. “But through it all, I always knew where home was… Kutztown has served as the home now to three generations. I couldn’t be more proud of the town and all of you who have made it what it is.”
Referencing the book “The Road to Character,” Slick offered advice to be humble, to exercise self control and to strive each day to be better than they used to be.
“I encourage you while you’re achieving great things, don’t ignore your inner voice. Try to make choices that will leave you better than you were,” said Slick. “Keep an open mind. We don’t know what the future may hold. Find a way to serve… Strong families, strong communities and strong societies are not freely gifted but rather they are built by normal people through everyday acts both large and small. I strongly encourage you all to find your own way to serve.”
After a photo slideshow of the Class of 2015, each of the graduating seniors walked across the stage to hear their name called and receive their diploma.
Superintendent Kathy Metrick concluded commencement saying, “What an incredible journey. There are the obvious accomplishments, the SAT scores, the Best in the County, the first ever district championship in soccer, you’ve heard all these things, but perhaps more important, the joy on their faces when they were awarded that trophy. That’s the kind of class this is. They’re close, they care about each other and they experience things so purely. That joy was one moment in time but it was typical of this class as a whole.”
Concluding graduation and receiving loud applause and cheers, Metrick said, “I proudly declare each member of the Class of 2015 having received a diploma as graduated from the Kutztown Area School District,”
