Garden Spot High School schedules graduation

When close to 200 Garden Spot High School (GSHS) students graduate at the school, 669 E. Main St., New Holland, on Friday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m., two members of the Class of 2025 will address their fellow classmates, family members, faculty, and friends.

Morgan Watt, daughter of Kim and Phil Watt of New Holland, and Summer Stern, daughter of Nikki and JD Stern of East Earl, were both chosen from among several students who auditioned to speak.

Morgan has titled her speech "Formative Words." "It's about how our spoken and written words have brought us to this graduating moment," she stated. "One of the main purposes (of my speech) is to honor every aspect of every high-schooler and reaffirm that all the graduates have made an impact on the school." Morgan is glad she attended GSHS because of the support system of faculty, fellow students, and advisers. She is especially thankful for Garden Spot Performing Arts (GSPA) advisers and her science teachers and coaches. Following graduation, Morgan plans to attend Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., near Charlotte, where she will study biology with hopes of eventually becoming a cardiologist.

Summer titled her speech "Where Our Stories Met." "(In my speech) I talk a lot about appreciating the distinct stories each person possesses and how through GSHS we have shared these experiences together, and they are part of our stories now," she said. "As we move on, the rest of our story is unwritten, and it is for us to discover." Summer is glad she attended GSHS because of the many and various activities in which she participated. She listed being part of the yearbook staff, volleyball team, GSPA, and National Honor Society among those. In the fall, she plans to attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she will study biology with the goal of becoming an optometrist. She said she is especially thankful to her coaches and her classmates, whom she called both "supportive and competitive academic people."

Tickets are necessary to attend the graduation ceremony.