By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

For the 452 graduates members of the Class of 2025 who received their diplomas at the 97th annual Avon Grove High School Commencement held on June 3 at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, they were witness to the usual trimmings associated with such a ceremony – “Pomp and Circumstance,” waving up to their parents and family from the arena floor and hearing their name called as they crossed the stage, spoken in a timbre that announced that one door was closing and another was about to open.

However, joined by a capacity audience of well-wishers, what the new graduates were not expecting were the very personal speeches given by their peers that reverberated throughout The Bob and referred to their personal journey as one of vulnerability, self-discovery and maturity. In his speech, Class Valedictorian Aaditya Joshi said that he asked for help with his speech but was told, “I don’t know.”

“Honestly, that may be the most underrated answer of all time,” Joshi said. “Saying ‘I don’t know’ is one of the best things you can say, because it usually means that you are about to learn something new. More importantly, it’s often a moment when you allow yourself to open the door for someone else to help you out.

“I used to think that success was all about having the answers and being the person everyone turned to, but if these past four years have taught me anything, it’s that asking for help doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.” 

‘The choice is yours’

Senior Speaker Evan Stevens told his fellow graduates that before his Senior year, “I didn’t care,” marking a three-year period that was affected by the isolation he experienced by COVID-19 era remote learning during his last year in middle school. 

“I let that hard year define me for the worst when I started high school, and by the end of my Junior year, I didn’t have many friends, had never joined any sports or clubs, had a 2.9 GPA and was ranked 338th out of 440 in our class. I had no aspiration for my future.”

Stevens then began to consider how his lethargy would affect his future, and at the start of his Senior year, reached out to new people, joined school activities and dedicated himself more in the classroom.

“And now I am here, because of a choice, realizing that every one of those moments good and bad are leading me exactly where I need to be,” he said. “What I learned in high school and what I hope every graduate here remembers is this: There will always things we wish we could change from our past. Although you cannot change your past, you can choose how you let it define your future. For better or worse, that choice is yours.”

Additional speeches were delivered by Salutatorian Madeline Chandler (“Don’t let your future or your ambition rob you of the present; after all, that’s why it’s called ‘the present,’ because it’s a gift”’); Senior Class President Brady Fox (“Each and every one of you will go out there and do something that will far surpass this. You’ll start families, forge careers and go out in the world and do something amazing”); and Senior Speaker Stephanie Kolar (“Time is the one thing we never get back, so let’s not wait to live our lives, to be kind, to chase our dreams or to forgive. Let’s not wait to tell people we love how much they mean to us. Do not simply be alive, but live.”)

‘This is the beginning of our story’

After giving recognition to the eight graduating seniors who will be entering military service, Principal Dr. Christie Snead said that 85 percent of the students will be pursuing higher education and have been accepted to 83 colleges and universities, and that 120 members of the class received over $220,000 in scholarships and awards from the school’s community. In addition, the Class of awarded with $4.5 million in scholarships.

“Class of 2025, you missed a crucial stage of middle school due to the world shutting down and yet, you excelled in high school,” Snead told the graduates. “You excelled in the classroom, in shop, in lab, on stage, on the court and on the field. You experienced challenge and disappointment. Through it all, you adapted and you persevered. My hope is that you look and reflect on those times with pride and continue to grow from your experiences in the future. You are capable of anything you set your mind to.”

“This is the beginning of your story.” 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].