ANDOVER TOWNSHIP – Pymatuning Valley High School Principal Mark Mollohan spoke words of encouragement for the Class of 2026, as a commencement ceremony was held Sunday, May 24, at the Veterans Memorial Performing Arts Center.
“Here you stand at an important turning point. Graduation is not the ending of your story – it is only the end of the introduction. Your real story is just beginning, and you control that story,” Mollohan told the graduates.
He said that control will bring freedom.
“But remember with freedom comes responsibility. The decisions you make moving forward will shape the chapters that are still waiting to be written,” Mollohan said. “There will be people throughout your life who doubt you. Some will judge you. Some will question your abilities, your decisions or your dreams. Do not allow those voices to become the narrator of your story.”
Mollohan told the graduates to trust in themselves.
“Trust in the lessons you have learned. Trust in the foundation that has been built through your experiences, your family, your teachers, your friends, and the challenges you have already overcome,” Mollohan said.
The Class of 2026 also heard words of support from PV Board of Education President Joshua Peyton.
“To the Class of 2026, there’s very little I can add to make such a momentous day any more special. We’ve tried to teach you what a Laker really is and have celebrated you when you’ve measured up,” Peyton said. “But at the end of the day, today is about your dedication and consistent work that you have put in to get here. A PV diploma is not given. It is earned. And this mindset is exactly the kind of commitment I will invite you to keep as the center of life when you leave today for the first time not as students, but as PV alumni.”
Also speaking at the ceremony was PV’s seven valedictorians – Jacob Dean, Ryan Harvey, Stuart Jenick, Isabella Limestoll, Eralyn Lockwood, Violet Luce and Ainslee Scribben.
The focus of their speeches varied.
Dean thanked the teachers at the school.
“I just really want to explain how grateful I am to have gone to Pymatuning Valley, and I’m sure many other graduates here feel the same way. I believe that every teacher at this school, starting from the primary and all the way up to the high school, truly wants the best for all of us,” Dean said. “I believe that they don’t get enough recognition for their greatness. So to all of the teachers I see sitting in front me right now, thank you. Thank you for always being there and pushing every single one of us to be our very best.”
Because of these teachers, Dean believes every single graduate has the ability to succeed in life.
In his remarks, Harvey spoke of the pressures of school, and the romanticizing of the past and future.
“My whole life I have been performing for someone. Whether to my teachers, to my friends, or even my family, I felt like I was always having to ‘upkeep’ on everything all at once,” Harvey said. “I feel like an ant. Isn’t that funny, that receiving this grand achievement could make me feel like something so small? But I am just someone working towards something greater, towards a future that might not even belong to me.”
He recalled a story from his eighth-grade math teacher, Ryan Shontz, about someone he knew that became very successful.
“The guy bought a shiny, brand-new luxury car, with self-driving technology,” Harvey said. “But then Mr. Shontz explained why the guy bought the car. He bought it so he could work in the backseat while the car drove itself to his job. At the time, I completely missed his point. I was focused on having a fancy and successful future. What most students probably understood immediately took me four years to realize. There is no point in working towards a life you don’t have time to live.”
Harvey said he tried hard in school and applied himself the entire time.
“I squeezed every drop out of our high-school academics. And being up here doesn’t feel as glorious or cinematic as people make it sound,” Harvey said. “Sure, it feels good. I am the first valedictorian in my family, and I am proud of myself because this is a remarkable achievement. But it does not make everything suddenly make sense. I still don’t have life figured out. Earning this does not feel like a movie ending. It just feels like a four-year burnout that I kept telling myself was necessary for the type of future I wanted.”
He said he thinks that’s because people like to romanticize both the future and the past.
“We grow up being told that one accomplishment, one title, one special moment makes everything feel complete. But let me tell you, up here, I’m still just me. I’m older, more experienced, but it’s still me,” Harvey said. “There is no correct way to do high school. Sure, there are good choices and bad choices, but there is no path that is guaranteed to make someone happy. You can spend all four years chasing achievements, titles, and awards like I did. You can spend the whole time trying to make a perfect future for yourself and still feel incomplete at the end. High school isn’t meant to determine your entire life. It’s meant for you to learn what matters to you. And I believe that there is a beautiful future waiting for anyone who understands that achievements don’t guarantee happiness.”
Jenick kept his remarks brief.
“I’d like to thank everyone that helped make this possible. The parents, the teachers, the siblings, the grandparents, the coaches: None of this would have been possible without your help. For that I’m truly grateful. To my fellow classmates, it’s been a pleasure to see you all grow over the past 13 years. I know you all have so much potential, and I truly believe everyone here can live up to that potential in the future,” Jenick said.
Limestoll said high school taught them far more than formulas, essays or deadlines.
“It taught us resiliency. It taught us to keep going when life felt uncertain, or when you got that fourth tardy and ended up in lunch detention,” Limestoll said.
She said none of them reached this moment alone.
“Behind every graduate is a parent or guardian who sacrificed, a teacher who stayed late, a friend who listened, or a quiet prayer that carried us through harder days. And while tonight celebrates achievements, awards and accomplishments, I think that what matters most are the moments no one puts on transcripts. The friendships formed in classrooms and hallways. The teachers who believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves. And the people who quietly helped us become who we are today,” Limestoll said.
Lockwood said they all have worked so hard to get there today.
“So I should be ecstatic to finally be done. Yet a part of me is dreading what comes after this. It may sound cliche, but the future is always changing. Realizing this made me understand that it is so important to live in the moment,” Lockwood said. “I think we all get caught up in the future that we forget to stop and take everything in and really enjoy the little things. After all this is going to be the last time we all will be in the school together.”
She told the graduates to “enjoy the little things.”
Luce said some of her fellow graduates are nervous about the chapter ahead, while others are more than ready for the next chapter to begin.
“But no matter where life takes us next, I want to leave you with one important piece of advice: do something. Throughout our time here, we spent so much of it waiting – waiting for the bell to ring, waiting for the weekend, waiting for summer, waiting to graduate. And if we are honest, we have probably spent far too much time scrolling on our phones waiting for life to happen instead of actually living it. So apply for the job. Start the business. Tell the people you love that you love them. Take the opportunity. Chase the dream that scares you a little. Because the people who change the world are rarely the smartest or the most talented. Usually, they are simply the ones willing to step out in faith and do something,” Luce said.
Lastly, Scribben told the Class of 2026 that this is the beginning of something new and exciting.
“We’re stepping into a season filled with growth and endless possibility. Each of us has something unique to offer the world, even if we’re not quite sure what that is yet. I hope and pray that each of you finds your purpose and your place in this world. I hope you don’t choose the path that looks easy or most impressive, but the one that you are passionate about. The one that allows you to serve and grow, and to become the person God created you to be,” Scribben said. “As we move forward together, remember that your success isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. It’s about showing up, trying again, and doing the best that you can in the moment.”
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