To honor Sgt. Gloyer

Seneca Valley students show their values

This much can be said about students in the Seneca Valley School District. They are thoughtful, gracious and well-grounded — and their proposal to rename the district’s middle school in honor of a fallen soldier deserves the school board’s serious consideration.

The students last month approached the board with a request to name the middle school after Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, a 34-year-old Green Beret and 2000 graduate of Seneca Valley High School. He was killed in November 2016 while fighting Taliban forces on his third deployment to Afghanistan. Also killed in the battle were another Green Beret, Capt. Andrew Byers; three Afghan soldiers; and 26 civilians.

As much as he died a hero, he also lived like one, and that is the main reason the students want his name to grace the school.

When he was a student, Sgt. 1st Class Gloyer was popular and smart, and his talents spanned stage and soccer field. He majored in psychology and early education at Thiel College in Mercer County, then enlisted in the Army, joining as a noncommissioned officer, his obituary said, because he wanted to experience every gritty aspect of service. He made the Green Berets on his third try — a lesson in perseverance from which students also might benefit. “Middle school is where kids begin to find themselves,” said Jenna Pollaci, a high school senior. “Students need encouragement to keep pushing, keep fighting towards their goals.”

The students made a two-hour pitch to the school board with the support of Richard Gloyer, the soldier’s father, and Warrant Officer Isaac Meade, a comrade who traveled from Colorado Springs, Colo., for the meeting. Sgt. 1st Class Gloyer, the son and grandson of veterans, embodied the best of America and his community. By recognizing that and encouraging others to recognize it, Seneca Valley students are showing their own promise as citizens.