Commencement exercises for the Class of 2018 were held on June 2 at Martorelli Stadium.North Hills High School Principal Beth Williams urged
students to believe in their dreams and work hard toward achieving them.
“Life is a series of challenges. We can either surrender ourselves to those challenges or keep hoping and dreaming of the day when our dreams will come to fruition, said Mrs. Williams.
“Continuing to dream is not easy to do as there are often obstacles that stand in the way of them. For dreams to become reality, they have to be transformed into action and that requires hard work and at times, relentless effort. To underestimate the value of dreams is to discard the importance of our imaginations. Many notable people have overcome opposition and difficulties and reached their dreams because they refused to relinquish them.”
Class members earned in excess of $2.8 million in scholarship
awards. Nearly 40 percent of the Class of 2018 graduated with a QPA of 3.5 or
higher. Student speakers for the ceremony were Noah Marshalek, Aliana Rao,
Dominic Melchiorre, Jordyn Hronec and Maria Arlia.
The graduating class included National Merit Scholars, AP Scholars, Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America award winners, Gene Kelly Award nominees, PMEA All-State musicians, Speech and Debate state-level honorees, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science award-winning researchers, Eagle Scouts, Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, WPIAL champions, National Cheerleading Championship qualifiers and PIAA medalists in various sports among many other honors.
Class members have been dedicated to the welfare of others as
evident in the various charitable activities by the popular Students Against
Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club, Student Council and Hands for Service Club.
They spearheaded numerous donations drives of The Pantry and the North Hills
Backpack Initiative, a Thanksgiving dinner food drive to provide meals to 200
NHSD families, a Monster Dash 5K and THON for children and families dealing
with pediatric illnesses.
NHSD Board of Education President Edward Wielgus congratulated
the graduates and their families before giving them a final piece of advice.
“Live life to the fullest, don’t give up on your dreams, and remember, no matter where your travels take you, you’ll always be an Indian.”
More than 88 percent of the Class of 2018 will be continuing
their education by pursuing a two or four-year degree at a college, technical
school or university, and six graduates will enter the U.S. military.
Special thanks to Jim Scott Studios for taking individual photos of each graduate. Photos can be viewed and purchased here. Please use your email address to enter the photo gallery site.