HONORING A HERO
Seneca Valley school renamed in honor of fallen Green Beret
Students sing “This Little Light Of Mine” during an assembly as the Seneca Valley School District officially renames its middle school in honor of Ryan Gloyer on Thursday in Harmony. Sgt. 1st Class Gloyer, a Green Beret and an alumnus of the school, was killed in action in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on Nov. 3, 2016. A group of students lobbied the district to make the change.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as the family of Sgt. 1st class Ryan Gloyer, a fallen Green Beret and member of the Seneca Valley Class of 2000, pulled down the covering to reveal the sign of the newly christened Ryan Gloyer Middle School in Harmony.
As the crowd watched, members of the Seneca Valley Junior ROTC raised the American flag in his honor. The sign reveal followed a dedication ceremony where Sgt. Gloyer’s family members, friends, fellow service personnel and mentors spoke about his life and legacy.
“Ryan Gloyer, exemplary forces Green Beret, teacher, inventor,” said Richard Gloyer, Sgt. Gloyer’s father. “We honor Ryan today as a hero — one who sacrificed his life for our country, but also for the way he lived his life, the values he embraced, the positive impact he had on all who knew him.”
The auditorium at the Seneca Valley Secondary Campus was filled past capacity with students, teachers, and family and friends of Sgt. Gloyer — most of whom were wearing white shirts stating the reason for the occasion: “Ryan Gloyer Middle School — we remember Ryan Gloyer.”
Sgt. Gloyer, along with fellow Green Beret Capt. Andrew Byers, was killed in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on Nov. 3, 2016, during an Operation Freedom Sentinel battle, according to a U.S. Army statement. It was Sgt. Gloyer’s third tour of Afghanistan.
After graduating from Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., with degrees in psychology and early education, Sgt. Gloyer joined the Army in 2004. Based on his perseverance and tenacity, he was accepted to the elite Green Berets on his third try in 2014.
The renaming ceremony marks the end to a journey that started nearly two years ago, when four Seneca Valley students were
inspired by Sgt. Gloyer’s story and formed the Committee to Honor Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer. They worked tirelessly to research Sgt. Gloyer’s story, said committee member Nate Koniecza, a rising sophomore at Slippery Rock University. It was unanimously approved by the Seneca Valley School Board earlier this year.
Renie Gloyer, Sgt. Gloyer’s mother, spoke about her son’s quirky personality and love for everyone. He was a brother, son, soldier, scholar, athlete, dancer, singer, craftsman, comedian — and always a teacher, she said.
“Few possess a heart that was as big as Ryan’s,” said Justin Gloyer, Sgt. Gloyer’s younger brother. “In his career as a soldier, Ryan was incredibly successful to say the least. But it was the groundwork that he laid that set him up for success, and it started here at Seneca Valley.”
Many of those who knew Sgt. Gloyer shared memories. Sgt. 1st Class Arsenio Rodriguez, of the 10th Special Forces Group, told stories of his friend’s sense of humor and insatiable drive for self-improvement. Dayna Buckley, his mentor from his student teaching days in Greenville, attested to his gift for teaching and way of “making each child feel special.” His father spoke of Sgt. Gloyer’s way of making everyone around him want to strive to be a better person.
Sgt. Gloyer’s military career started out with groundwork that began at Seneca Valley in 1994, Ms. Gloyer said.
In honor of Sgt. Gloyer’s love of music, the seventhand eighth-grade Seneca Valley orchestra performed a moving rendition of “You Raise Me Up.” As the eighth-grade choir sang “This Little Light of Mine” — his favorite song to sing as a child in church choir — the entire audience stood up and swayed to the music with their cell phone flashlights.
“If Ryan were here today he would say to you: work hard in school, always give 100 percent. You never know what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it.” — Justin Gloyer, Sgt. Ryan Gloyer’s younger brother
Each of the people who spoke about Sgt. Gloyer echoed a call to action to the current students of Ryan Gloyer Middle School.
“If Ryan were here today he would say to you: work hard in school, always give 100 percent,” Mr. Gloyer said. “You never know what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it. Enjoy your journey while attending Ryan Gloyer Middle School.”
The middle school was established in 1971 and enrolls about 1,200 students.