As high school graduations wrap up for our region and we look ahead to summer, we were happy to hear the wisdom and insight of some of our younger generation.

“Let us remember that we are like that pair of scissors, ready to cut through challenges and eager to shape the future,” Montoursville Area High School valediction Marissa Hartland said.

“It is important to have an attitude that is adaptable,” Lacy Eckard told her graduating classmates at Muncy High School’s commencement. “It is the one thing we have control over.”

“The future is a brand new song we compose all by ourselves. The power is in our own hands and that is pretty special,” Valedictorian Anna Luxenberger told the graduating class of Loyalsock Township High School.

“Whatever the coming months and years have in store for you, be that military service, higher education or entering the workforce, I ask that you attack it fully and honestly. I implore you to make every effort to build a world better than how we found it,” Valedictorian Matthew Reid told the graduates at South Williamsport Area High School’s commencement.

“As long as you persevere, you can prove that you are more than good enough for anything that you put your mind to,” Madison M. Shrimp, valedictorian for Montgomery Area High School, said at her commencement.

“We’re here tonight, not because we let the past define us, but instead because we learned from it and found success,” Student speaker Ian M. Sykes told the graduating class at Williamsport Area High School’s commencement.

We share in recognizing the importance of perseverance, a sense of responsibility and hard work.

We are confident these values will serve our young adults well as they meet the challenges of their generation and, if they heed their own advice, we are confident they will surpass those challenges.