Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

‘Students of change’ celebrated at graduation ceremony

5/27/2021

 
​    Grain Valley High School (GVHS) celebrated its 320 graduates during a commencement ceremony at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence on May 26th.
     The school’s 113th commencement was another demonstration of life returning to normal following a school year impacted by COVID-19. The class of 2021 endured continual change due to the pandemic, from virtual and hybrid schedules to the return of full in-person instruction, to canceled and then modified events and activities, not to mention the daily impact of social distancing, mask mandates, and quarantines.
     Student commencement speaker Hannah Lytle quoted writer Anthony J. D’Angelo in the opening lines of her speech to students:
     “Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant.”
     Lytle noted that her class had become “pretty great students of change”, and that the transition they were making together that evening meant a change in the paths each graduate would be taking.
     “Our paths up to this point have been paved for us. None of us are going down the same path. We all share this experience, but today, we get to use this experience differently,” Lytle said.
     GVHS teacher and coach Pete Carpino was elected by the student body to address the graduating class. Carpino is retiring from education after 32 years, the last 7 in Grain Valley.
     Carpino encouraged the graduates to “take care of the little things” in life, as those “little things add up to big things in critical situations”.
     “Your life will be a roller coaster…the ups and downs of your life will be so much smoother if the little things are taken care of,” Carpino said.
     GVHS Principal Dr. Jeremy Plowman highlighted the accomplishments of the 320 graduates, which included 18 Bright Flight scholars, 69 National Honor Society members, 157 A+ graduates, 32 students receiving athletic scholarships, and first year scholarships totaling $4.11 million. Plowman recognized students graduating with honors and 7 students entering the armed forces after graduation.
     Reached for comment before the graduation ceremony, Plowman reflected on this year’s graduating class.
     “This class will always be near and dear to my heart. Their junior and senior years were dominated by a pandemic. Yet, they persevered in so many ways. In athletics and activities, Grain Valley moved into the Suburban Conference with some of the most successful schools in the State and have had unprecedented success. Academically, this senior class had National Merit Scholars, a plethora of Bright Flight scholars and some very prestigious scholarships. Their school spirit remained strong when it would have been easy to let it wane,” Plowman said.
 
 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture