Prepared for Life: Graduation, Class of 2021

Prepared for Life

In a year when so many things weren’t normal, the Delone Catholic High School Class of 2021 celebrated its graduation in an almost normal way.

Although attendance was limited, both due to COVID-19 restriction and physical space limitations, and although students and families had to wear masks, the Class of 2021 graduated together, something that didn’t happen in 2020.

On Friday, May 21, 2021, the 92 members of the Class of 2021 walked across the stage, smiled for a photo, and received their diplomas. As is traditional for high school graduations, the diplomas were conferred by Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer, Bishop of Harrisburg, who exhorted the graduates to use their education as a passport to the wider world.

“Today is a day for congratulations and good wishes, a time for giving thanks to God for what has been and a time for renewing trust in God for what is yet to come in each of your lives. This is a time of saying goodbye to your high school years and for embracing the next phase of your lives,” Bishop Gainer said.

“Graduating seniors, I truly hold you in high esteem. To say that your senior year was unique would be an understatement. The last months of your junior and this last year were nothing short of extraordinary, with challenges which none of you, and none of us with many more birthdays than you, had ever previously experienced. Your high school experience was unlike any other class before you. But these challenges were met and they were overcome.

“Those difficulties provided you with a good life lesson as you conclude your secondary education and prepare to take on new challenges in life. Challenges can summon forth the best in us, or they can make us want to give up, to collapse under the pressure. That did not happen. Your school leaders and teachers and you would not let that happen. Instead you grew through it all and the trials called forth the best in you,” he added.

Graduation

The Class of 2021

Ryan Joseph Murphy was the Class of 2021 Valedictorian.

“When we first entered this journey our freshman year, none of us could have imagined what our high school experience would turn out to be. Quicker than we could have thought, we made those experiences and memories and we are ready to move on,” he said.

He recounted a moment in the school year when he and his friends were sitting in the cafeteria and decided to do “highs and lows,” where people recount the good parts (highs) and bad parts (lows) of their days. He said that was something that his family had done on vacation, and doing it with his friends further solidified the sense of being a family that exists at Delone Catholic High School.

He encouraged his classmates to “aim to be a light to others, and live out our lives the way God intended. Another thing I’ve learned from Delone has been to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. We all need to deal with the fact that life is meant to be an adventure, and every adventure has its highs and lows and can be scary at times. But, going out of our comfort zone and trying new things is the best thing to do.”

The Class of 2021 Salutatorian was Audrey Catherine Sell.

Sell addressed her classmates, reminding them how far they’ve come: “We spent the last four years together, navigating our way through high school, attending classes, completing assignments, doing Odds and Evens, writing way too many essays, all to make it to this point. We’ve made friends, built relationships, and strengthened our bond with God, tying us together at this point. We’ve gone through hardships, dealt with a pandemic, helped each other through negative times, all while looking forward to this point. So what’s my point? Don’t let this point be an end point. Continue working hard and completing your tasks, whether it’s assignment in college, a job in the workforce or your own personal goal.”