RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Camden Dalrymple delivers a commencement address during the 122nd Annual Commencement ceremonies at Montgomery Area High School on Friday, June 5, 2026.

As the sun set in the skies of Montgomery, so too did it set on the high school careers of the 73 students who crossed the stage into an uncertain, yet limitless future at the district’s commencement ceremony Friday night.

“I had the privilege of working with this group as their high school principal for five years,” said Superintendent Joseph Stoudt, who assumed the role of principal last June.

“I have been most impressed by how this class has matured and the character that these young women and men have shown,” he said.

“They have been outstanding role models for our younger students and have always made Montgomery proud at local, state, and even national level events. The fact of the matter is that this does not happen by accident,” Stoudt said.

“Sometimes we look at Montgomery being a small school as a negative. However, in this case, the community that we can build together during our time here can only exist because Montgomery is so small,” said Valedictorian Camden Dalrymple.

Though a smaller school would typically bring the student closer together, that connection was challenged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenge the student body met head on, Dalrymple, who will attend the University of Miami to double in public relations and creative advertising.

“I believe as a class we have become stronger together. I look at the way that our class is connected, and I truly think that is something special, along with the impact we have made as individuals and as a class on the Montgomery community as a whole,” he said.

“Together, we have brought joy and triumph to our community through sports. We have brought pride and greater recognition through our academics and community service and we have, most importantly, brought love and compassion through the way that we act as citizens of this community,” Dalrymple said.

“Wherever life may take you, love others, find compassion in everything. You never know what a stranger may be going through,” he stressed.

“After tonight, we will all branch off and go our separate ways in life. We will find our own communities, whether that be the same Montgomery community that we are all a part of, or one another state, country or continent,” Dalrymple said, urging the graduates to find a community they can rely on.

“The world that we live in focuses heavily on technological connections, but it is in human connections that we can truly live. The feeling of being loved, respected and valued allows us to become a person with meaning and to show the same love for others,” the valedictorian said.

“If there’s one thing you remember from tonight, let it be this: you are loved, you matter and you were never meant to live life alone. Wherever life takes you, build community, show compassion and allow yourself to receive the love that this world has to offer,” Dalrymple concluded.

Salutatorian Emily Dieffenderfer spoke of overcoming preconceived notions someone may have.

“From the very start of our journey, we were known as the largest class size in the elementary school, where teachers warned each other about us and our troubling behaviors. For example, for the first half of our eighth grade year, where we held the record of the most detentions given out to a singular class in the entirety of the seventh through 12th grade,” she said with a laugh.

“Very few people truly believed in us or ever imagined we could accomplish anything other than cause trouble,” she said.

“However, despite all the doubt and apprehension, we as a collective class have achieved so many great things in our time here. We have been trailblazers, and not just in our detention records,” said Dieffenderfer, who will be attending Smeal College of Business at Penn State University to study business management.

“In our time here, we have proven ourselves to be more than just trouble makers,” she said, running down a long list of academic and sports accomplishments.

“As we prepare to leave this place that has been our home for so long, I want you all to remember that your constant determination and perseverance will also guide you towards success,” Dieffenderfer said.

“These past years have shown us that we are far more than a grade, and most importantly, failing first is normal and healthy, as long as you don’t give up because of it,” she said, urging her fellow classmates to work hard, do their best and live life with no regrets.

“While we might not have been some people’s favorites, nor the most well-behaved class, we definitely are a group of highly motivated and spirited individuals who continue to accomplish so many good things,” Dieffenderfer said.

“Never forget your potential and never lose your energy and spirit and the pride you have in everything you do,” she said.

Allie Kuehner, a 2007 graduate of the district was this year’s keynote speaker.

Kuehner earned a degree from Smeal College of Business, and has worked with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Mark Jacobs Fashion House, Penn State’s football program and world-renowned architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

On June 29, 2025 Kuehner became one of only 103 women in history to witness Earth from space as part of Blue Origin’s NS-33 for the 33rd New Shepard mission.

“In 2007, I was sitting exactly where you are, same place, same question, same excitement about what life could become,” Kuehner told the graduates.

“What I’ve learned is this: where you begin does not determine where you will end. Your environment may shape you, but it does not define your future,” she said.

“From this moment forward, it is all on you, and that is not something to fear, that is something to rise into, because you now have something incredibly powerful, choice,” Kuehner said, adding that approximately 244 million children around the world lack access to education.

“You are now sitting where your future begins, with something incredibly powerful that hundreds of children would do anything for,” she said, urging the graduates to take the initiative in the next stage of their lives.

“You do not get handed a meaningful life. You build one, you fight for it, you earn it,” Kuehner said.

“With great privilege comes great responsibility. Now is your time to use it to grow, to evolve, to make meaningful change. Because education is not something you finish, it is something you carry with you,” she stressed, while adding that time is the most valuable currency anyone will ever have.

“You can make more money, you can build new relationships, you can change direction, but you cannot get your time back,” Kuehner said.

“We are truly one. There are no borders from space, no divisions, just earth, and all of us share that same responsibility to protect it. I carry that sense of unity and stewardship with me through everything I do. And you are stepping into that moment now,” she said, reflecting on her trip to space.

“You will shape the future. So, go, explore, build, create, lead, and always, always bet on yourself, Kuehner said, urging the students to step outside of their comfort zone.

“Growth requires discomfort. The people who change the world are almost always the ones willing to look foolish before they succeed,” she said, adding, “get uncomfortable, stay curious, say yes to opportunities that scare you.”

“Your future is not limited. This is your moment. Be willing to take risks. Always lead with purpose. Go out, make your mark. Leave the world better than you found it, and remember the sky is not the limit,” Kuehner said.