{"id":179766,"date":"2024-05-27T21:42:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T02:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=179766"},"modified":"2024-05-27T21:42:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T02:42:04","slug":"van-wert-hs-graduates-161-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2024\/05\/27\/van-wert-hs-graduates-161-seniors\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Wert HS graduates 161 seniors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>SCOTT TRUXELL\/<\/strong><em>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunday afternoon was the end for 161 Van Wert High School seniors but at the same time, it\u2019s just the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The message at the school\u2019s 153<sup>rd<\/sup> annual commencement exercise was to look to the future and be ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High School Principal Charles Rollins and Superintendent Mark Bagley were among those who addressed the graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/VW-student-speaker.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-179771\"\/><figcaption>Ashlyn Stoller addresses members of the Class of 2024. Bob Barnes\/VW independent<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChoose to pursue your over the best &#8211; best is external comparisons while your best is about personal growth, grit, and experience,\u201d Bagley stated. \u201cFocus on maximizing the gifts you have been given. It\u2019s not important to be perfect, but simply do your best and start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graduates and those in attendance also heard brief remarks from three student speakers \u2013 Sydney Dowler, Ashlyn Stoller and Lyndsey Heath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEmbrace the challenges that lie ahead with courage and conviction,\u201d Dowler said. \u201cVan Wert High School has provided us with great opportunities to guide us in the right direction. From the PLTW classes, to extracurriculars, to the CEO program, our school has allowed us to find our passions and gave us confidence to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cWe all have an open future ahead of us and guess what, the sky is no longer the limit,\u201d Stoller said. \u201cYou can go higher than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDiscover the world, fight for what is right, and take on the biggest challenges you may encounter,\u201d Heath said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rollins presented 12 graduates of distinction \u2013 Caleb Bledsoe, Zoe Coleman, Sydney Dowler, Lyndsey Heath, Deborah Jones, Hope Keuneke, Jacob Kitson, Johnathan Kramer, Reese Krugh, Cayden Laukhuf, Ellie Mooney and Sarah Verville. To be considered for the honor, students must be in the top 10 percent of the graduating class, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or higher, and have completed at least three advanced placement courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The Van Wert High School band, directed by Robert Sloan, performed the processional and recessional and the alma mater. The choir, under the direction of Julia Reichert performed \u201cYou Raise Me Up\u201d and Anna Marquez sang a solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The class flower was the red rose, the class color was red and the class motto was \u201cOne step at a time, but always forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCOTT TRUXELL\/independent editor Sunday afternoon was the end for 161 Van Wert High School seniors but at the same time, it\u2019s just the beginning. The message at the school\u2019s 153rd annual commencement exercise was to look to the future and be ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. High School Principal Charles Rollins [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-179766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-01 03:48:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179766"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":179772,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179766\/revisions\/179772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}