At Manheim Central High School, all students are invited to audition to be a graduation speaker, said principal Joshua Weitzel. This year, speakers at the Class of 2022 ceremony on June 2 included valedictorian Sydney Heisey, Lisa Peng and Jiahnny Laboy.
Sydney is the daughter of Don and Molly Heisey of Manheim. She said she felt pulled to try out as a graduation speaker because she wanted to honor the longtime tradition of valedictorians giving speeches during the ceremony. "I also got quite a lot of encouragement from teachers who wanted to know what I'd come up with to say," she stated. For her speech, she focused on a variety of lessons she learned throughout high school, while drawing connections to an intensive climbing route called a via ferrata that she completed with her family at Nelson Rocks in West Virginia last summer. After graduation, Sydney plans to attend Liberty University to study zoo and wildlife biology.
Lisa had won an award through the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center for her speech, which prompted her to share it with her Manheim Central classmates. "I auditioned to speak at graduation because I wanted to leave a positive impact on others," she stated, noting that her speech focused on acceptance of differences. Her speech was titled "Shattering Your Expectations." "My speech (was) about how I have been faced with adversity with having a learning disability and to shine the light on how it's necessary to change your thinking about what success looks like when faced with challenges," she said. After graduation, Lisa, who is the daughter of John and Lian Peng of Mount Joy, plans to attend HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College and then transfer to East Stroudsburg University to study athletic training. "I'm so glad I went to Manheim Central," she remarked, "because it shaped me into the tough and encouraging woman I am today."
Jiahnny presented a speech titled "Preservation of Self-Love," sharing a story about her personal self-love journey and the importance of taking care of your well-being. "I felt as though this is an important topic to discuss with my fellow classmates," she explained. "It's an important reminder or maybe even an eye-opener for others when we start our lives after high school." Jiahnny is the daughter of Johnny and Glenni Laboy of Manheim. She plans to attend HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College while working as a lab technician before attending a university to complete her bachelor's degree. She noted, "I'm so glad I went to Manheim Central, because I got to spend my last half of my senior year with my favorite teacher, Mrs. Anderson.'
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