Tuscarora grads come together for last time, prepare for separate journeys

At exactly 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the line of graduates began to move.

Slowly, they inched around the edge of the gymnasium, green-clad members of the Tuscarora High School Class of 2024, heading out to bring one phase of their life to an end and begin another.

Photos: Tuscarora High School Graduation

Once they had gathered in the arena at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Class President Kayla Wankep greeted her classmates.

“Cheers to the class of 2024. We made it,” Wankep said.

As they gathered to prepare for the big moment, several in the graduating class of 412 reflected on their last year of high school and what they hoped for in the future.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. It’s just happening,” said Arwen Ki as she chatted with friends.

The first few months of senior year had been pretty stressful, with college applications and other things. But overall, the year had gone by quickly, she said.

She kept herself busy, with activities such playing in the band, the National Honors Society, and Mu Alpha Theta, a national mathematics honors society.

The band gave her a group of friends who could help each other through their difficult times, Ki said.

She’ll go to the University of Maryland in the fall, but is still deciding her major.

This summer, she said, she’s finishing classes at Frederick Community College for a certified nursing program.

Nicholas Dantona also played in the school’s band, playing baritone and serving as the lower brass section leader in his senior year.

The experience helped him learn how to be a leader, including what not to do, as well as positive leadership skills, he said.

Dantona also ran long-distance on the school’s track team and participated in a college-level engineering program, among other activities.

His activities let him meet a wide range of people and have experiences with them that he wouldn’t have otherwise had, he said.

Dantona said he likes engineering because he wants to know how things work and how to build things.

He plans to go to West Virginia University to study mechanical engineering.

For Dexter Schaerdel, the next step after high school will come when he reports to Air Force basic training in the fall.

Wearing a blue stole reading “Future Airman,” Schaerdel said the service was something of a family tradition, with many relatives on his father’s side serving in the Air Force.

He said he will probably spend some time at the beach this summer before he reports for basic training.

One of his highlights from his senior year was joining the school’s swim team, despite never having swam competitively before.

Schaerdel said he joined the team just to make himself a stronger swimmer.

He said he was ready to move ahead with graduation and the next phase of his life.

“I still kind of can’t believe it right now. I’m sure it will hit me later,” he said about the significance of the day.

Ryan Schwab also participated in a lot of activities during his time in school, including the National Honors Society, theater, and choir.

“I was kind of everywhere in the school,” Schwab said.

He said his busy schedule helped him figure out what he enjoyed.

He planned to spend the summer traveling, before going to Syracuse University in the fall to study biology, with hopes of continuing on to medical school.

In Wednesday’s ceremony, Principal Lisa Smith said the graduates spent the last four years at the school on the same trail, while also exploring their own journey.

No matter where their journey goes next, they will face challenges, but can only take the trip one step at a time, she said.

Kyra Brockett, the class’s speaker, told her classmates that a lot of little things may not have seemed memorable or notable, but all contributed to them getting to Wednesday’s ceremony.

She urged them to try to get a little better at one thing every day.

“We’ve made our mark at Tuscarora High School, and it is time to expand our mark on the world,” she said.