South Range grads learn how to be great

June 7, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

CANFIELD

South Range Graduation

It was a tall order he had, said the Rev. Jessie Johnson of Midway Mennonite Church, to launch the South Range High School Class of 2015 on its path to greatness.

So the Rev. Mr. Johnson, keynote speaker at the class’s commencement Saturday evening, decided to use the example of a man whose life turned completely around in an instant. In that one instant, the Rev. Mr. Johnson said, he was no longer who he thought he’d be.

Kevin Pearce, a snowboarder on the brink of superstardom in the sport, would have that chance taken away from him in a horrific accident.

In the struggle that followed as he underwent rehabilitation and reassessed his life, Pearce would undergo a metamorphosis from being an extremely impressive snowboarder to a great human being.

It began in Park City, Utah, when Pearce, then 22, was qualifying for the 2010 Olympics, Johnson said. He was out to challenge the world’s best snowboarder, Shaun White.

He was performing on a half-pipe, missed the landing on a trick and crashed on his head.

“He spent the next six days in a coma,” Mr. Johnson said. “He woke up with blurry vision, slurred speech and memory loss. He could hardly move his arms and legs.”

Throughout his rehabilitation, Pearce wanted to resume his career as an elite snowboarder. “But it was not to be,” Mr. Johnson said. “His brain was too injured to compete at the highest levels.”

“His question ahead of him,” Mr. Johnson said, “was ‘What now?’”

Pearce now runs Love Your Brain Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for people affected by brain injury.

Greatness is not defined by athletic ability, net worth, or achievement, Mr. Johnson said.

“True greatness is measured by our ability to actively care about others,” he continued. “No matter what we choose to do, we can actively care for others. We can reach out to our friends, our neighbors. We can volunteer for our schools.”

“We have economic and political crises, and we need your fresh voices to build a better world,” he said.

It wasn’t “big air” that made Pearce great, Mr. Johnson said.

“That was impressive, yes,” he said. “His greatness came in helping others.”

Several of the 108 graduates shared their plans for greatness after graduation.

Samantha Oslavic is going straight to the workforce, with aspirations of becoming a chef. She would like to work for a fine-dining establishment.

Morgan Hunter is going to Kent State University at Salem, where she’ll major in radiology. Her job choices vary “from reading X-rays to operating the machinery to giving chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” she said.

Her grandmother had cancer, she explained, and a friend was just diagnosed. “I want to help and make a difference,” she said. “Plus, it’s fascinating.”

Halla Berkey will attend Penn State Shenango to major in astrophysics and minor in history. “I’m into theories and astronomy,” she explained. “My dad was a history teacher, and I’ve always loved history.”

Michela Thomas is going to Westminster College, where she’ll major in neuroscience. She would like to be a neurologist.

Jonah Wilson is going to Walsh University in South Canton to become a nurse anesthetist. “It’s good pay, and I get to help people out,” he said.