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Cherokee High’s Graduating Class Told the ‘Mountains Are Waiting’ as They ‘Stand on Highest Peak of Our Lives So Far’ in Graduating

By D ouglas D. M elegari

Staff Writer

EVESHAM—The “mountains are waiting,” declared local rock climber and Cherokee High School Salutatorian Anton Smolyanyy in a June 16 commencement speech, advising his fellow graduates that “as you walk across the stage tonight to accept your diploma, look upwards toward your next mountain and be inspired by the climb that awaits you.”

“Take risks and don’t live your life wondering what the climb could have been,” Smolyanyy further advised his classmates. “We have all accomplished big things, and now we must dream to accomplish even bigger ones.”

Smolyanyy, who described in his commencement address having spent a lot of time as a rock climber hanging out at the “granite mountain faces of California” and “the orange sandstone of Utah,” and asked attendees to picture him as a “jacked Tom Cruise” from Mission: Impossible 2 “hanging off the edge of a cliff with one arm,” emphasized that “in many ways our high school experience, as a class, can be related to the process of scaling a towering mountain.”

“Four years ago, we arrived at the base of the formidable mountain of high school,” the salutatorian declared. “The dangerous and rocky slope ascended high into the air, toward graduation, with the daunting peak covered in snow and ice. Looking up this mountain, which seems like an eternity ago, this peak seemed unattainable, seemed distant and there was no obvious path that presented itself amid the unknown terrain. Yet, before we knew it, months and years flew by – day by day, week by week, late night after late night with cramming sessions.

“We conquered this mountain, through a lot of studying and lucky guesses on our tests.”

As Smolyanyy looked out over the hundreds of fellow graduates wearing their caps and gowns, seated on the athletic field of William H. Foltz Stadium in Evesham Township, he further declared, “We stand on the highest peak of our lives so far, from where a breathtaking view opens up all around us.”

“We can clearly see the breathtaking journey that brought us here, as it seamlessly unfolds into a future ablaze with boundless possibilities,” Smolyanyy said. “And yet the next mountain is on the horizon. It turns out the top of each mountain we climb is only the bottom of the next one. As we celebrate the summit today, we also get to celebrate that we get to climb even higher. This is only the beginning.”

The salutatorian encouraged the Class of 2023 “not to chase the peaks or summits,” but to “learn to love the challenge itself – the fight it takes to get to the top,” as well as to “learn to love weathering the unexpected storms and obstacles that life throws at you every single day.”

“Be driven by the vision of your own summit,” he advised. “Yet be shaped by the journey you take to get there.”

Getting help along the way is something that Smolyanyy discouraged the graduates to not shy away from, comparing “support,” which he contended is “necessary along the way,” to “the rope that catches you when you fall,” adding, “find the people you trust to catch you and support you, because falling is a natural and inevitable part of climbing.”

“The simple truth is you can’t always stay at the top, after every peak,” Smolyanyy maintained. “You have to descend. So, thrive in those moments in between the peaks, when it feels like you are going off script, because each one of those moments brings you one step closer to the next upward slope. And if you are on loose footings, climb with a rope that will support you.”

The Cherokee commencement exercise was apparently a bit abbreviated due to uncertain weather conditions, with severe weather having passed through earlier in the day and skies remaining overcast with a scattered shower having been predicted for the evening.

“Proud” Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm, of the Lenape Regional High School District, of which Cherokee is included, described her role as two-fold for the evening – “cede my time so that we can allow student speeches in this weather” and “officially certify the Class of 2023,” with Cherokee Principal Donna Charlesworth having also forgone her traditional commencement address that she was scheduled to give.

However, Birnbohm remarked, “I have had the honor and privilege of watching many of you conduct yourselves admirably during your time at Cherokee.”

“Continue to care and connect with the people you encounter,” she added. “Continue to accept guidance and love from those who have supported you,