157 graduate from Mifflinburg High

Eric Scicchitano, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Jun. 12—MIFFLINBURG — Carter Abram stood before the lectern during Mifflinburg Area High School's graduation ceremony and acknowledged both that COVID-19 differentiates the Class of 2021 from all others and that many people are exhausted on that topic.

"Upon actually attempting to write meaningful dialogue about this, I kept hitting a brick wall," Abram told a standing-room only crowd inside the gymnasium at Mifflinburg Intermediate School. "I am tired of thinking about it and having it define our senior year and I'm sure you are, too. Seriously."

The Class of 2021 at Mifflinburg and everywhere else will be the first high school class to make it through a full year amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic. Mask or no mask, the 157 former seniors at Mifflinburg are now moving on.

Valedictorian John Darrup thanked the district's teachers who encouraged him and his classmates to grow as individuals. And, he thanked their parents and guardians for showing them guidance and teaching them love.

"Tonight, despite the thousands of changes over the years, we end the journey that you started for us the same way we began it, with tears in our eyes and hundreds of more pictures," Darrup said.

Salutatorian Cade Dressler spoke of perseverance through failure and the importance of moving on. Using his experience of having blown a save, and a win, as a freshman relief pitcher, Dressler said his pitching coach encouraged him to simply let it go.

"You can't control the circumstances that have been handed to you in life, but what you can do is flush it, forget about it, and move on," Dressler said. "Each of you today is not defined by what you have done up to this point, but you will be defined by what you do from this point on in your life."

Graduate Nasir Berry spoke of moving to Mifflinburg this school year. After struggling in different schools, particularly when he lived in Philadelphia, he found a collective embrace when he arrived in Mifflinburg and was better for it: excelling in class and in athletics.

"Most people here accepted me before they even got to know me," Berry said. "No matter where you come from, no matter what you go through in life, if you put your mind to something and don't give up, you can accomplish whatever."