Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Grads encouraged to share knowledge
DOWNINGTOWN » The 194 Downingtown STEM Academy graduates were encouraged Thursday night to continue using their “knowledge for betterment of those around them.”
The graduation theme for STEM, of the Downingtown Area School District, is based on a poem by Joe Flach titled “Human Beings Being Human.”
STEM graduate, Alexandra Elizabeth McCurdy, a commencement speaker, said her classmates are open-minded thinkers and risk-takers who communicate and care to be knowledgeable.
“As humans we all have our faults and are challenged to meet our desired potential. Yet when I compare these ideals to those of STEM students, I realize that we are different,” McCurdy said. “We understand world problems and we don’t just sit in class and do nothing.”
STEM graduate, Morgan Lynn Mochulski, a commencement speaker, said “how we face adversity, that shows our true colors.” She said her classmates have responded to hardships by meeting it with understanding, respect and kindness. She hopes they never lose those qualities during future adversities.
STEM graduate, Meghana Krishna Chigurupati, a commencement speaker, urged her class-
mates to “never forget the power each of you yield as long as you remain enlightened.”
STEM Headmaster Art Campbell envisioned a world he wants his children and his students to live in when he heard the poem by Flach. He said the graduating class exhibits and shares their knowledge with the world to improve it.
“Their reliance on logic and rationale helps to drive their problem-solving attitudes toward application of knowledge, and not just knowing. When they leave the walls of this institution, they see ways to improve and use their knowledge for betterment of those around them,” Campbell said. “They are knowledgeable. They continue to fight for battles for logic, justice and freedom of thought, and wrestle with seemingly impossible problems.”
He urged them to never lose their kindness and warned them that doing good acts will not always be easy or the most popular option, but he said they are capable and prepared for the challenges to come.
Additionally during graduation, STEM senior James George Armstrong honored STEM Academy Susan Boardman with the “recognition of distinction” award. He thanked Boardman for her passionate efforts which allowed the students to become prepared for the workforce, drawing from their internship experiences and practicum work.
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot.com.