ARCHBOLD WEATHER

PHS Graduation Speakers Urge Classmates To Look Up, Redefine Success






Jacob Hauter, PHS Class of 2015, ponders a point during his speech at the Sunday commencement ceremony.– photo by David Pugh

Jacob Hauter, PHS Class of 2015, ponders a point during his speech at the Sunday commencement ceremony.– photo by David Pugh

Speakers at the Pettisville High School graduation ceremony, Sunday, May 25, turned away from admonitions to strive and achieve.

Instead, they urged the Class of 2015 to consider others, to remember roots, and to redefine success.

Rebecca Dorosz, PHS English teacher, told the graduates about how she transcribed her grandfather’s autobiography.

She and her grandfather talked about the difficult days of his childhood during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and about the loss of family members.

Yet he didn’t become emotional, he did not fill with tears, until he began talking about his own children.

Her grandfather, she said, was an architect who worked long hours and spent a lot of time away from his family.

“He folded his aging hands and he looked at the ground, as he said, ‘I missed it all.

“‘My only regret in life is I wasn’t there when my children were growing up. I worked too much and I missed it all.’

Judy York and her son Kregg are all smiles as Kregg escorts her out of the Pettisville High School gym after receiving his diploma during the PHS commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 24. A total of 55 PHS students received diplomas.– photo by David Pugh

Judy York and her son Kregg are all smiles as Kregg escorts her out of the Pettisville High School gym after receiving his diploma during the PHS commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 24. A total of 55 PHS students received diplomas.– photo by David Pugh

“In that singular moment, my grandfather taught me one of life’s most valuable lessons.

“While he wasn’t distracted by cell phones, by texts, Pinterest, or Twitter, he was distracted, nonetheless.

“Our problem today is not the new technology. Our problem today is a new manifestation of an age-old problem.

“Class of 2015, my message today is not to ask you to burn your cell phones or quit your jobs, and I’m sure your parents are very thankful for that.

“My message today is to encourage you to look up, and not to miss it all, and look out to make a difference.”

She told the graduates to look up, away from phones and responsibilities, and look outward, not to themselves, but to others.

“You all, right now, have the wonderful opportunity to start your adult life with the realization that those small moments are what really matter in life, so savor them.

“May you go out into the world now and look up to savor your life as you live it, while looking out, impacting others as you show the love to them you have so generously shared with me.”

Remember The Past

Grace Friend and Amber Sauder, members of the graduating class, spoke to the past, pointing out it is the past that defines who we are today.

“Maybe you’re not a people person,” Friend said, adding, “and you want to move away from everyone.

“At least remember the fun times we had together. The memories we created are a history of our time here at Pettisville.

“Once we leave, the chapter ends and no other class will ever be like us…

“The fun times we had at Pettisville brought us laughter and joy, stories to share with new friends, and tales to reminisce on with old ones.

“So while our chapter may end when we leave this place, the history of our time together will continue to bring a smile to our face.”

Sauder said, “Just like a story can’t have an ending without a beginning, you can’t have a future without the past to show you why you are here.

“We should remember where we came from. So as we leave this building, remember all that’s happened here. Don’t forget Pettisville.”

Chicken Souls

Jacob Hauter, another 2015 graduate, talked about the excitement and celebration of the present.

“But then, 30 years down the road, youth has faded, the streamers have been taken down, and at 48, you find yourself going to a 9-to- 5 job every day that deprives you of all happiness.

“Coming home, you fall asleep in front of the TV all night, and ask yourself why, why are you living such a boring life at 48?

“Because you never did anything at 38. You never took any chances, you only did what you thought you could.

“And why a boring life at 38? Because you never did anything at 28.

“And why a boring life at 28? Because you never did anything when you were 18.

“And why a boring life at 18… wait,” he said.

Hauter urged his classmates to do things to make an impact on their lives.

He urged them to have an open mind and an open heart.

“An open mind is an attitude, an outlook that says, ‘I’m ready,’” Hauter said.

It is “a positive feeling for what surrounds you, makes you realize you’re not part of a group of people, or psychobabble– you’re part of humanity.

“It makes you realize you’re not part of the state, or a nation; you’re in the world. You’re part of the universe.

“It may happen once, it may happen a thousand times, but in the dream of consciousness, we reach a point where we ask ourselves the questions, why are we here? What is our purpose? What’s the meaning of life? Does life have meaning? Do chickens have souls?”

Hauter said success is different “than what society tells us…

“Success is living in the present, and it happens infi- nitely.

“It’s smelling the familiar smells of the seasons. Walking through the woods, learning to understand the patterns of nature. It’s connecting with people you really never thought you would connect with.

“It’s standing in the warm air of the night, feeling the earth rotate beneath you, looking up at the infinite abyss, into a canopy of stars with only gravity holding us back against the earth, and truly saying, ‘I’m happy.’”

Scholarships, Awards

Jacinta Nafziger, PHS guidance counselor, said of the 55 members of the PHS graduating class, 47% earned at least a 3.3 gradepoint average.

An Ohio honors diploma was awarded to 16% of the class. The class scored an average of 2.5 points above the national average on the ACT college readiness test.

Over a third are going to college next year and report receiving scholarships totaling

$840,000 over the next four years.

The Top Scholar award went to Friend, who had the highest GPA in the class at 3.975.

The highest award at PHS, the Citizenship Award, went to Hauter.

Other nominees were Eli King, Josh Liechty, and Hannah Meller.–corrected May 31


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