President of Canfield High’s Class of 2015 builds legacy

June 8, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

CANFIELD

The classroom wasn’t he only place Neal Timlin learned during his senior year at Canfield High School.

He learned in the hallways, at football games and even at a craft show.

“I learned a lot about myself this year,” said Timlin, 19, who was president of the CHS Class of 2015.

He and his 236 classmates received diplomas Sunday during graduation ceremonies.

Timlin said he ran for class president “on a whim,” because he felt as if he hadn’t contributed enough during his first three years of school.

“I really wanted to leave a legacy on the school,” he said. “So I decided this was my year. I was going to do it. So I decided to run, and I won.”

As president, Timlin said he made it a point to try and get to know as many people in his class as he could. That meant attending more extracurricular functions than he had in the past.

“People say you can’t be friends with everyone, but I honestly think you can,” Timlin said. He said his outgoing personality helped him to get along with all members of the student body.

In the past, he had attended only a couple of home football games each year. But after becoming class president, he made it a point to attend every game – home and away.

“I found that once you get the respect of the athletes, they’ll support you in the things you want to do,” he said.

He also was involved in major projects like the senior craft show, which is a major fundraiser for senior programs.

Timlin characterized his classmates as a group of, well, characters.

“There are a lot of characters in this class, and that’s what makes us so special,” he said. “There’s a little bit of everything going on here.”

Candace Reed, one of the senior class’ two advisers, said Timlin is more than just a character.

“He is one of the most engaging, charismatic speakers and class presidents we have ever had,” she said.

Timlin said he will attend Ohio University in the fall, where he will major in music production and minor in marketing.

“Ideally, by the time I’m 30 I would like to have my own record label out in Los Angeles,” he said. “Why not?”

Kyle Anderson, 18, said teaching swimming lessons to young kids at the Canfield Swim Club guided him to his career path of early childhood education, which he will study at Kent State University.

“I’ve actually known since preschool that I wanted to be a teacher,” he said. “I remember coming home one day and telling my mom that I wanted to be a teacher when I grow up.”

Initially, Anderson wanted to teach older students, like middle school or high school. But as a swimming instructor, he found that young kids are eager to learn and have open minds, and he realized he had a knack for teaching children of that age.

“I want to teach people who are motivated,” he said. “If I can catch them early and help them love learning, then maybe they’ll still love it when they get older.”

The student speakers for commencement were Mia Battaglia and Stephen Gant, both 18.

Battaglia emphasized that high school is “only a small fraction of our lives,” but that it created a solid foundation for future endeavors. She will study biology at Youngstown State University.

Gant, who will pursue a degree in physics at the Ohio State University, focused his remarks on the importance of taking risks in life.

“This group, from top to bottom, has been outstanding as far as participation and excellence,” said Anthony Holben, class co-adviser.