Sussex Tech graduates class of 2014
Sussex Technical High School didn’t let a little rain ruin its commencement exercises May 29. As the processional started to begin the 6 p.m. ceremony, the rain stopped and didn’t return for the remainder of the evening. The class of 2014 invited Assistant Principal Dr. John Sell to be their graduation speaker.
Sell offered the students a few words of wisdom from writings by American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. But perhaps his most memorable advice for the graduates spotlighted the entrepreneurship of one of their classmates. “If you want to be a cupcake salesman, then sell them,” he encouraged. “Because you all have something worthwhile to share with the world.”
Class President Emily Morris relived a few highlight moments during the four years her class was part of Sussex Tech. She also remembered three classmates whose tragic loss had brought the class of 2014 closer to each other and who “will live on in our hearts.”
The graduates chuckled when salutatorian Bansri Patel admitted that she had once gotten a 33 percent on a test but instantly explained that she quickly worked to get that grade up and never looked back. The health pro student will be entering the University of Pittsburgh in the fall in the school’s pre-med studies.
Valedictorian Megan Parkhurst received a standing ovation from her classmates after speaking from her heart. She encouraged her classmates to be different and to make a difference. “I vow to speak for the unspoken for,” Megan promised. Megan will attend Washington College with a goal of becoming a lawyer.
Following the pomp and circumstances and the speeches, 303 graduates received their diplomas from Sussex Technical High School. Bringing up the end of the line were the four Zwiebel quadruplets - Colin, Laura, Maggie and Matthew.
