An estimated 100 students will graduate from Onteora High School at a ceremony to be held on Friday, June 22, at 6 p.m. Over half of this year’s seniors are college-bound, according to Lisa Casey, class advisor and secretary to the high school principal.
Valedictorian Pia Roels will be studying chemical engineering, with a concentration in biological and biomedical engineering, at Cooper Union in Manhattan. She is also an accomplished ballet dancer.
Salutatorian Kira Daniels plans to attend Yale University, pursuing diverse interests which include theater, literature, logistics, sociology, psychology, gender studies, and more.
This year’s graduation speaker will be Dr. Michael Fowlin, better known as Mykee, an African-American actor/psychologist who has given presentations at Onteora yearly for the past four years. Mykee’s performances address bullying, intolerance, self-esteem issues, and other core emotional topics. “The kids love him,” said Casey.
The graduation will take place on the high school football field as usual, if weather allows. The decision to go indoors or outdoors will not be made until noon on the day of graduation. Each year, the high school orchestra plays “Pomp and Circumstance,” the traditional graduation march, as the students parade to the ceremony.
“The Onteora class of 2018 is a class that has shown that they are leaders as well as incredible human beings,” Superintendent of Schools Victoria McLaren remarked. “They have worked hard this year on multiple initiatives, including organizing and participating in an event in support of the students of Parkland. They have been respectful and cooperative in their work with the high school administrators and staff. I’m certain that they will shine brightly in the coming years as they each head off on their own journey.”++
The Onteora class of 2018 graduation will take place on Friday, June 22, at 6 p.m. at Onteora High School on Route 28 in Boiceville.
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