43
Poland grads aim high
By Jordan Cohen
POLAND
Sunday’s graduation ceremonies at Poland Seminary High School would have been memorable enough for the 185 members of the Class of 2016, but for several, such as Juliana Kreatsoulas and Tyler Smith, it marked the completion of a weekend of athletic as well as academic achievement.
The two were among several Poland athletes who had just returned from a successful weekend in the state track finals in Columbus. Juliana finished fifth in the discus competition, and Tyler’s relay team finished second in the 4x200-meter race.
“It was great,” said Juliana, who sported her fifth-place medal on her white graduation gown. She will be attending Ohio State in the fall and plans to be a “walk-on” member of the university’s track team while studying business administration.
Tyler said his favorite memories of high school are “just being with friends.” He is headed to Waynesburg University in southwestern Pennsylvania to study early-childhood education and play football.
“It’s going to be 100 percent being on your own,” he said when asked about his future. “I’m excited about [competing] academically and in sports.”
Charles Dwyer, one of four valedictorians, was a member of Poland’s track and cross country teams. His next stop is Youngstown State University to study chemical engineering.
“I like building things,” he said. “I like chemistry and math, and I’m pretty good at both.”
Poland’s newest graduates have diversified interests and dreams about their lives after high school. Abigail Lea said she has “been an artist all my life” and is considering the visual communication design program at Kent State. Her favorite high-school memories are acting – she was the lead in a student production of “Miracle on 34th Street” – and watching her fellow students paint a huge mural in the hallway.
“It took them a year and I loved watching them do it,” she said.
Jaden Rogers, school salutatorian, also is headed to Ohio State to become a software engineer. He hopes to eventually work for a high-tech company in California’s Silicon Valley. His favorite memories are the good times he’s had with his similarly tech-minded friends.
“We’re a tightly knit group,” he said. “We’re all nerds.”
The graduates – boys in blue gowns and the girls in white – entered the packed high-school gymnasium to boisterous applause. Unlike their counterparts at other schools, Poland’s graduates do not have a class song, motto or flower. “We don’t go in for that,” said Ruth Riley, school librarian who coordinated the ceremony.
Jack Betts, the commencement speaker, is a longtime teacher in the school system who retired only to return as a substitute. In a very animated presentation in which he occasionally ran back and forth in front of the audience, Betts drew laughs describing the occasionally peculiar conduct of students, but he saved his most poignant comments for the parents and their influence on the lives of their graduating children.
“You’ve got them ready for the future, and I want to thank you for that,” Betts said. The audience gave him a loud and long standing ovation.