Wayne Christian students graduate
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 29, 2016 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Dolores Hans, center, wipes away tears as her daughter Victoria presents her with a long-stemmed rose, and hands her diploma to her father, Tom, during Wayne Christian School's Saturday morning graduation ceremony in the school gym.
Mason White seemed unruffled by the din created by the roomful of soon-to-be-graduates, his lips moving as he read over a hastily drafted speech.
"I found out about 10 o'clock yesterday (Friday) morning that I would have to give our senior class project to the school," said White, president of the Wayne Christian School Class of 2016. "It was a little nerve-wracking and overwhelming. But I did have some help from my mom and my aunt.
"We were up late last night trying to get it ready."
White was among the 32 seniors to receive their degrees during a Saturday morning graduation ceremony in the school gym.
The program included presentation of awards and scholarships that totaled nearly $500,000.
Each graduate was handed a rose after walking across the stage that they in turn handed to their parents as the students' recorded senior messages were played.
White said graduating was kind of confusing.
"We all have our plans, but we don't really know what is next," he said. "So, it's life changing. A reality check is coming for everybody, and I just hope that myself, along with everybody else, will be able to adapt."
White plans to attend Pitt Community College and play baseball. Afterward, he plans to transfer to the University of Georgia in his home state and major in exercise science.
Isabella Hernandez opened the folder holding her diploma and smiled after glancing inside as she walked across the stage.
"I opened it up because they (classmates) were joking that I wasn't going to graduate," she said. "So as I was walking across, my headmaster Dr. (Ashely) Shook told me, 'Don't worry, it is in there,' and so I knew just to make sure that it was in there.
"Yesterday I was nervous. I bawled by eyes out, but today not so much. I got all of the nerves out yesterday. I was like sobbing yesterday."
Miss Hernandez will spend the summer in Miami, where her family is from. She will return in July to do some mission work and work with a drama teams before heading to Evangel University in Springfield, Mo.
"For many of us, we work hard in school so that we can get into our desired colleges," said valedictorian Aamir Castelino. "Once we earn our degree, we will look for jobs and try to earn enough money to provide for our families and to be able to retire. Our lives seem to always revolve around the future. As a result, we take for granted the present, failing to truly cherish the moments with ourselves and failing to thank God for what He has already blessed us with."
Castelino said the class includes aspiring businessmen, musicians, teachers, engineers, nurses, police officers, farmers and more.
"In today's world, we need people to reflect Christ in all different vocations, and I am glad to be part of a class with such diverse interest," he said. "While we may not know all the details concerning our futures, we do know that we will have our emotional, as well as spiritual, highs and lows.
"No matter the circumstances, we must always remember to place our trust in God, for we can accomplish nothing by ourselves. Finally, I just want to challenge you guys to leave this place on fire for God. Be that class from Wayne Christian that went out and make a major difference in the world for Christ."
Co-salutatorian Thomas Donica asked his classmates what their most enduring memories of high school are.
"Years from now, many of us will no longer remember the many books that we have read on spark-notes, the equations of motion, or the geography of Europe," he said. "Most of us will not, years from now, fondly thumb through our textbooks and recite the pillars of Islam or the unit circle. What will be remembered, however, is our relationships to each other. We will remember all of our teachers, not because of what they taught us, but because they cared."
Most of all, classmates will remember each other, Donica said.
Donica said each person is shaped and molded by his or her experiences and especially by relationships they have with others. Because of that the memories the classmates have of each other have made them permanently a part of each other, he said.
"Class of 2016, if there is one thing you should remember from your time here, one thing that you should never forget, it is that every moment that you spend in contact with others shapes them forever," Donica said. "You could shape them for ill, but you could also shape them for the better.
"So, please, shape the people around you for the better, just as I know many of you have shaped me."
Co-salutatorian Micah O'Hara called the classmates' experience at Wayne Christian School "priceless."
"We were surrounded by caring teachers who sought to see us excel academically, socially and spiritually," he said. "We received a phenomenal education -- one that was infused with a Christian world view. We learned not only the temporal knowledge of this world, but also the eternal wisdom of God's truths.
"The knowledge and wisdom we have acquired have prepared us to be ambassadors for Christ in a troubled time."
O'Hara read "Graduate's Prayer" by Steiner Rice.
"Class of 2016, as our time at Wayne Christian comes to an end, let us never forget that it has helped shape us into the individuals we are today," he said. "Now it is time for us to take the lessons, knowledge and wisdom we have gathered from our years at Wayne Christian and make a difference in our world."