Manheim Central senior Troy Peters said a specific theme could sum up the past year for the Class of 2021: adapt and overcome.

Peters, who was among the 211 graduates at the school's ceremony on June 4, spoke at the ceremony about how the challenges of the past year only made the students stronger.

"For some of us, this past year took away jobs, much-needed money, even family members, but even with all that loss in our recent memory, things have been getting better," he said, giving examples of student accomplishments and club activities at the school, including raising more than $15,000 for Four Diamonds through Mini-THON. "We overcame and even thrived."

The graduation ceremony, held at Spooky Nook Sports, featured several student speakers, along with comments from faculty members and guest speaker Seth Obetz, a 1989 graduate of Manheim Central.

Rachel King was named valedictorian. She plans to attend West Virginia University in the fall and was recognized for her accomplishments at Manheim Central. In school, she was a member of the marching band, Science Olympiad, and the math, English and science honor societies. She was also a National Merit Scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction and a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate. She also received a Women's Club of Manheim scholarship. She expressed thanks to all of her family, friends and teachers for their support, adding, "I would not have made it this far without them."

Eve Sheaffer was recognized as salutatorian. She plans to attend Franklin & Marshall College in the fall. At Manheim Central, she was named senior Student of the Month for April, was a recipient of a Women's Club of Manheim award and was an AP Scholar with Honor award winner. She recalled her favorite moment of high school, noting that it happened after the final curtain of "Mary Poppins," her senior-year musical. "At the end of each show, the whole cast lets out a big scream to commemorate each production," she said. "The final scream of my senior musical is something I will remember for a very long time."

Speaker Andrew Rajaratnam, who will attend Penn State University in the fall, talked about wishing he had the chance to go through high school again. "You will never experience anything like high school," he noted. "Though our journey did take a bump in the road the last year, it did not stop us from making memories we'll take with us for the rest of our lives."

Principal Joshua Weitzel addressed the members of the Class of 2021 and reminded them of the significance of graduation. "Tonight serves as a turning point in the lives of those seated here tonight," he said. Superintendent Peter Aiken agreed, adding that the graduates now have a new job to do: "Go and make your mark on the world."