Radnor grads say they left their mark on community
Members of the Radnor Class of 2020 were given their first computer usernames in kindergarten; the year was 2007, the same year the iPhone was introduced.
“Isn’t it crazy what has happened since?” asked Valedictorian Ryan Oliver in the school’s virtual graduation. “We’ve made it … Reflect on what we’ve been through. Thirteen weeks of quarantine and isolation … We made numerous sacrifices for the common good.”
Indeed, the world will not soon forget the Class of 2020 for what it has had to endure, and on Wednesday, Radnor High School honored the 311 seniors with a virtual graduation followed by an in-person diploma presentation held in front of the school.
Students arrived to find members of the faculty welcoming them as each waited their turn to receive diplomas. At specified times, cars drove around to the front of the school arriving at one of two stage areas, where each student got out with their families for a family photo. Then each student was called to one of two stages in front of the school to accept their diplomas from either Principal Panayota Kevgas or Superintendent Kenneth Batchelor.
After accepting their diplomas, small groups of students then tossed their caps on cue before leaving. The driveways of the school were lined with photos of each graduate.
During the virtual graduation, senior Ryan Oliver opened the service with his rendition of the National Anthem, followed by speeches from a number of class officers and the valedictorian and salutatorian.
Owen Leonard, class vice president, joked that school hadn’t prepared him for new social distancing etiquette such as the delicate art of maintaining eye contact during a 20-person video conference or the ethics of hosting a neighborhood barbecue. He laughed that the strong handshake he was always encouraged to extend is now a questionable tactic when meeting new people.
Joking aside, he said he was extremely grateful for the education received at Radnor and that it helped him adjust and adapt to the changing times, a defining characteristic of a great education.
In her speech, Annabel Zhao, executive director of the Class of 2020, said that Radnor students don’t succumb to challenges, they instead take meaningful actions to overcome them.
“We, the Class of 2020, have undoubtedly left our mark on Radnor,” Zhao said. “And Radnor and our historic time period have left their mark on us. No other class has graduated the way that we have and hopefully no other class will have to in the future. We will overcome. Each and every one of us has within us an invincible summer. We all have the spirit to continue, despite all odds.”
Salutatorian Helen Hu spoke about the liminality stage that seniors now found themselves in - a transitional phase - no longer high school students but not yet college students; no longer children but not yet full adults.
“Consider these liminal moments, these in-between moments,” Hu urged.
The guest speaker was New York Times bestselling author and alumnus Kelly Corrigan, who urged students to go back to basics to find a good and an internally happy life. Her views included giving everything you’ve got to the people you love, spending your days in pursuit of good work and taking care of the body you are given.
“Where does your happiness come from? It’s in meaningful connection with others,” Corrigan said. “It is your job, and your job alone, to figure out how to be happy and productive in the world. You just have to figure out what is the best next step.”
The final section of the virtual graduation was comprised of district teachers passing along congratulations and words of encouragement to the Class of 2020.