Spring-Ford grads Ram their way through rain, head out into the world

It looked like the rain might stay away for Spring-Ford High School’s Tuesday evening graduation at Coach McNelly Stadium, but one-third of the way through the diploma presentations, it started to pour.

Prior to the rain arriving, graduates and their friends and families heard from salutatorian Wenyuan Zhou, valedictorian Taylor Daily and alumni association president Barry Shafer.

The ceremonies kicked off with the band performing “Pomp and Circumstance” as the seniors marched around the track surrounding the football field and then took their seats. A quartet of senior chorus members sang the national anthem.

Zhou spoke on “The Power of Uncertainty.” Her speech touched on how life is uncertain but that she was confident that “in the future, we will make an impact.”

Daily quoted both Plutarch and “Harry Potter” character Albus Dumbledore in her speech, “Your Diploma is a Hammer – Build Yourself a Future.”

“Our futures are not rigid,” Daily said. “We should use these diplomas to build a future for ourselves.”

Principal Patrick Nugent presented the class of 1961, who celebrate their fiftieth reunion this year. He also noted that this class of seniors is the first class to use the new senior wing in the 10-12 Center.

Shafer recognized three Spring-Ford alumni with inclusion into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. They included Sergeant David Dolby, class of 1964, who was a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and Amanda Moore O’Leary, class of 1984, a standout lacrosse and field hockey player who went on to coach women’s lacrosse at both Yale University and the University of Florida.

The third Hall of Fame honoree was keynote speaker Alison Lanyon. Lanyon graduated in 1996, earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, and has been the morning news anchor at WHTM channel 27 in Harrisburg for the last several years.

Lanyon spoke to the Class of 2011 on the importance of following your passion. Referring to the popularity of Facebook among today’s seniors, she said, “If you look back fifteen years from now, what would you like your ‘status’ to be?”

Lanyon said she was told many times how difficult it would be to be a broadcast journalist, but she never gave up. Since becoming a reporter at WHTM, Lanyon has won three regional Emmy awards.

“You don’t have to make a million dollars,” she said. “You just have to make yourself proud.”

Following the speakers, Nugent presented awards to Zhou and Daily, and Class of 2011 president Marisa Mullen presented the keys to the school to Class of 2012 president Nick Edwards.

 Nugent then presented the Class of 2011 to Dr. Hurda, who spoke briefly on how proud she is of this class of seniors and of the administration, who believed in the students, inspired them, and engaged them in learning. Hurda was followed by school board president Joseph Ciresi, who said these seniors should never give up. 

“You should push to make discoveries that will change the world,” he said.

 Finally, after diplomas were presented to the 485 members of the class, the seniors were able to turn their tassels and declare themselves graduates of Spring-Ford Area High School.

Enjoy the photo gallery by Patch sports correspondent Dave Conard.