Members of the Elizabethtown Area High School Class of 2024 were encouraged to take risks, work hard and step outside of their comfort zones in speeches delivered by students and faculty during a graduation ceremony held on June 4 at the LCBC Manheim campus.

"Floating down this stream of life we are all in, through all the bends and turns, it is easy to let the water take you, close your eyes and relax as the current does the work," said senior speaker Jillian Wivell. "Until you hit a rock, then another and then run straight into a log, all because you're not paying attention but letting the forces around you do the work as you simply follow. On the contrary, it is far more difficult to swim against the current." She encouraged her peers to go against the flow, noting that fighting upstream will make them stronger.

"The world awaits, and at times when it seems dark, selfish and hopeless, we can choose to be the people that are remembered with fondness, the people that stepped out of the clique, out of society's expectations and out of the crowd to be a positive influence in the lives of others," she said. "Let's leave our own original impact on our community and our world by stepping out of the safe zone with bold confidence in who each of us were created to be."

Jaycen Conrad was named valedictorian at the ceremony. He urged his classmates to look back on the time they spent in school, remembering the friends they made, the teachers they liked and the athletic or academic accomplishments they achieved.

"I encourage you to take time to cherish the moments that are left in the past, because once you walk across this stage tonight, you are on a path straight to the future," he said.

He also told his peers to take action and create the future they want. "Do not simply wait around for an opportunity to fall directly on your lap," he said. "The world before us is brimming with infinite possibilities and opportunities, and it is up to us to go and find them. Not just to find the opportunities that have been laid out for us, but to create them for ourselves - and maybe others as well."

Mikaela Condran was named salutatorian. In her speech, she encouraged her classmates not to be intimidated by the current state of the world. "As we begin our young adulthoods in a complicated and turbulent world where college and work are only a part, we also have the responsibility to consider the people we want to be in the world," she said. "We have the opportunity to move forward with tolerance, generosity, understanding and empathy. I challenge you all to continue to value the same virtues that have shaped you into the people you are today and continue to be the architects of our future."

The graduation ceremony included an a cappella performance of the national anthem by four students and speeches by Elizabethtown Area School District superintendent Karen Nell, board president Stephen Lindemuth and high school principal Jason D'Amico. There are 320 members of the Class of 2024,some of whom graduated earlier this school year. Diplomas were awarded to 280 students on June 4.