This moment has been the destination, the goal all of us have strived for, worked towards, dreamed of and could not wait for," stated Emma McNamee, salutatorian of the Twin Valley High School (TVHS) Class of 2024, during the opening address at commencement ceremonies held on June 8 at the Santander Arena in Reading.

Emma is the daughter of Brian and Laurie McNamee of Honey Brook. The class valedictorian is Anjali Nair, the daughter of Pradeep Prabhakar and Lakshmi Unnikrishnan of Morgantown.

After the welcome, Emma spoke about the accomplishments of the senior class, including plays and musical performances, club fundraisers and the performance of the school sports teams, specifically the championship-winning girls' field hockey and lacrosse teams. "Our achievements as a class can only be attributed to two things - our motivation and our fearlessness," she remarked. "We took the circumstances that faced us, worked hard to obtain our goals, putting in countless hours and having sleepless nights and every ounce of fight in us to reach for the stars."

Next to speak was TVHS principal Bill Clements, who talked about the successes of the Class of 2024, including honors and awards at state and national competitions in FFA and the Technology Student Association. He also acknowledged TVHS student musicians, student artists and members of the theater arts club, as well as student-athletes who have earned all-league, all-state and all-American honors and team championships in various sports, including football, cross-country, field hockey, softball, track and field and volleyball.

"(The student-athletes) have exemplified the highest ideals of leadership and sportsmanship," Clements stated. "They have remained humble in victory and gracious in defeat and consistently represented Twin Valley with the dignity and class that our 'Raider Pride' motto demands."

He added that the seniors planned spirit weeks, a powderpuff game, a junior-senior prom and homecoming. They collected items for food banks, provided holiday gifts for children and raised funds for local charities. "In a remarkable campaign, the senior-led Mini-THON shattered their goal and their previous records by collecting over $61,000 for the kids, supporting families and funding research in the fight against pediatric cancer," Clements reported.

He also recognized the TVHS internship program designed to prepare students for future careers and college dual-enrollment programs. "This class was offered over $5.4 million in grants and scholarships and awarded more than $127,000 in local scholarships thanks to our local community's generosity," he stated, adding that 56 TVHS graduates will join the workforce, 175 will pursue postsecondary education and 10 will join the nation's armed forces.

He concluded by extending a challenge to the graduates: "Lead an ethical life, grounded in honesty and integrity," he said, adding a quote from Thomas Jefferson: "In matters of principle, stand like a rock."

Other speakers included school district board president Gary McEwen, class speaker Elisa Brown, class treasurer Morgan Raines and secretary Jonathan LaBruto. Elisa and Morgan announced that the senior class gifts are a new water fountain and bottle-filling station in the high school stadium and a flower garden in the senior lounge.

The TVHS chorus, band, choir and orchestra offered musical performances. In addition to the previously mentioned class officers, Clark Gaynor was president of the senior class and Camrynn Owens was vice president.

To view the entire TVHS graduation ceremony, visit www.youtube.com and search for "2024 Twin Valley Commencement."