43
Parting ways
166 graduates embark on a new journey
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
STRUTHERS
Cheers and whistles greeted the Struthers High School graduating class as it entered the Struthers Memorial Fieldhouse.
“So here we are, graduating,” said Alyssa Olmi, senior class president. “Four years flew past us, and we hardly had time to realize it.”
Even though high school’s over, she told her fellow classmates the journey is just beginning for them.
“Explore your options,” she encouraged. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because you’re going to make them. Learn from those mistakes and know that nothing is permanent. Know that there are endless opportunities.”
The graduates will go their own ways — some to college, some to jobs or the armed forces, and others to marriage, Olmi noted.
“I do not know where life will take you,” she said. “But I do know that I certainly expect great things from all of you.”
Kathleen Gallagher knows where she’s headed next year — to Kent State University to study history — but getting ready for commencement had her thinking about the rest of her life. It also had her taking a trip down memory lane.
“I’m kind of wondering what I’m going to do with the rest of my life,” she said.
“And kind of picturing everyone around me like we were in elementary school.”
She has attended school since kindergarten with the majority of her graduating class.
“There’s always going to be a part of me that misses everyone,” she said. “But I’m going to college, too, and kind of moving on with my life.”
In high school, she participated in tennis, drama and mock trial. Those helped her find what interests her, and now she’s excited for the next stage of her life.
“I’m looking forward to meeting new people, kind of living in a new area,” Gallagher said. “But I always know I can come back home.”
Shelby Derstine, a fellow graduate, will continue to live at home while pursuing a degree in nursing at Youngstown State University.
Graduation day is exciting, she said.
She’s looking forward to college but will miss her friends.
“Most of them are going away,” she said.
This class has distinguished themselves in athletics, music, art, physics, community service and more, said Robert Rostan, superintendent.
“Your accomplishments, if you choose them to be, are mere steppingstones to greater heights,” he said.