Pennsbury High Class Of 2023 Embarks On New Journey

FAIRLESS HILLS, PA —The Class of 2023 stepped into the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton and stepped out as Pennsbury High School graduates.

About 675 students attended the 75th Annual Pennsbury High School Commencement Thursday night at the arena, an alternative location since Falcon Field is under construction.

School officials noted some of the highlights of the Class of 2023 in their speeches as Schools Superintendent Thomas A. Smith and School Board President TR Kannan were among the speakers at the podium.

"You deserve a round of applause," Kannan said. "The Class of 2023 has made its mark in so many ways."

Kannan noted that more than $5 million in scholarship money was awarded to the class and that the high school had divisional-and-national-level athletic championship teams in baseball, golf, softball, basketball, football, lacrosse, and volleyball.

"You excelled in music, theater, speech and debate, and robotics," Kannan said. "You participated in civic engagements to help foster change. You cared deeply, committing time and effort to fundraise for organizations like the Special Olympics and the Four Diamonds Mini-Thon."

Smith told the graduates about remembering that their success was a team effort in which "Pennsbury is a unique place with an incredibly supportive community."

Smith mentioned such traditions as Sports Nite and Prom and future initiatives such as curriculum updates, construction of a new multi-sport turf field, and discussions about a new high school.

Post-secondary plans for the graduate include a commitment to the U.S. military, trade schools, and two and four-year colleges and universities, including Cornell University, New York University, Penn State University, University of Michigan, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, the United States Air Force Academy, Virginia Tech, among others.

Besides Smith and Kannan, commencement speakers also included High School Campus Principal Reggie Meadows and student speakers Gavin Kuebler, the high school class president and senior school board representative, and Henry Franklin and Amanda Qu.

"No one cares how many followers you have—what your GPA is—or how much you can bench press," Kuebler said in his speech. "This may seem like a very negative take on reality, but with a change in perspective, the realization will alleviate the majority of your day-to-day anxieties. With this understanding, you will do things you want to do. You will grow as an individual. And you will stop worrying about meeting the expectations of others. No one cares what we did (good or bad) over the past four years. It’s all about what we do next. We all have a blank slate. And we all must prove ourselves once more."

Members of the Pennsbury High School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Chris Bygott, performed "Pomp and Circumstance." Members of the Pennsbury Chamber Choir, under the direction of James Moyer, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Pennsbury Alma Mater.