A pair of twins finished at the top of Panther Valley High School’s Class of 2024 and spoke during Friday’s commencement exercises.

Eli Maynard finished as valedictorian, and Maddison Maynard as salutatorian.

“For many of us, this ceremony serves as the ultimate conclusion of the last four years of our lives. There will be no more practices after school, SATs, Keystones, or AP tests. There will be no more moments in the Panther’s Den, talking to friends during lunch, and walking through the hallways,” Eli said. “Now is when we start to look back at those moments and wish that we could have them back.”

Eli said that while all will feel sadness or regret as they look back on their high school careers, they should appreciate what brings on those feelings.

“It could be a sport, a club, or another hobby that brought you joy, but regardless of what it was, remember the fun and the excitement that it gave to you. Do not mourn because it is over; rejoice because it has happened,” he advised.

Maddison Maynard said that she was both “proud” and “honored” to be able to stand in front of her classmates - and speak alongside her brother.

She referenced the Walt Disney World ride, “Journey Into Imagination with Figment” to inspire graduates to pursue their dreams. The ride stars “Figment,” a dragon with a runaway imagination, she said.

“We should live our lives like Figment lives his, as free - spirited and optimistic as one can be,” Maddison said. “We should allow our imagination to be set free instead of bundling it up inside of us due to fear of failure or embarrassment. If we grant our imagination permission to run freely in our lives, we can create even more dreams for ourselves to set out to accomplish.”

She ended with a quote from Figment: “We all have sparks!”

“I believe that we as a collective group, just have to find them. Find your spark, hold on to it, value it forever,” Maddison said. “It will lead you down a road of success and open new doors for you that not even your imagination could imagine to be possible.”

Patricia Ebbert, junior/senior high school principal, took the 89 graduates on a walk down memory lane. She started with kindergarten and ended with high school, and divided the experiences into chapters.

“Well let’s talk about your book of life, your story. Chapter 1 of this amazing book that you started writing, was filled with the innocence of a child learning, discovering, and making new friends. Eating lunch in the cafeteria, having fun at recess and learning how to read and write,” Ebbert said.

She followed through with the chapters of elementary, middle and high schools, talking about both successes and failures - and how they all became “bookmarks” in a student’s life.

As they entered high school, Ebbert said students likely began thinking about graduation.

“Excitement followed you through your years because you stepped out of your comfort zone and finally reached the goal that you have been dreaming about for 13 years as that little kindergartner with their box of crayons riding a big yellow bus,” she said. “Savor the moment right now, your high school journey is complete.”

Ebbert noted that the students’ next chapters are blank because they, as the authors, haven’t written them yet.

“Look ahead, face those empty pages with determination and grit and fill them with the love of all that’s new, the joy of experiencing new friendships and how you found your niche in the world,” she said. “And, when that book is filled and when life brings you through all those chapters and the book is complete, start a new book and write more of the chapters of your life.”

Jeldiana Gjoca, class president, said it didn’t seem long ago when graduates were dressed up for their middle school awards ceremony.

“Now we’re in caps and gowns saying goodbye,” she said.

Gjoca reflected on moments the class shared.

“These last four years aren’t even a quarter of our actual lifetime, so don’t let these days be the ‘good old ones’,” she said. “I’m proud of us for making it through the hard tests, heartbreaks, and early mornings, but mainly I’m proud of us for living through it all.