“This is a moment that I want you to remember,” district Superintendent Dr. Brian Ulmer told the graduates.

“Take a deep breath, count to 10, look around while you’re counting, look out into the bleachers and find your loved ones. In addition to your family members, we are joined today by district staff and faculty. These individuals gave their time and talent to push you to achieve what you have. Please take time to say thank you,” he urged the students, before offering an African proverb for the graduates to consider as they move beyond high school.

“‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together,'” Ulmer said.

While celebratory of this milestone, 2026 class President Roman Dittmar noted that it is by no means the end of the road.

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Jersey Shore High School Salutatorian, Julia Herman, addresses the Class of 2026 during Jersey Shore’s 73rd Annual Commencement Saturday morning.

“We have officially reached the finish line in the first leg of our marathon,” Dittmar, who will major in accounting at Lycoming College, said.

“We started this journey as nervous freshmen who probably couldn’t even find our lockers, and now we are leaving as semi-functioning adults, ready to face the world,” he said, reflecting on high school as a “weird time.”

“It is a mix of late-night study sessions, caffeine-fueled panic and enough drama to fuel a new episode of Love Island. But at the end of the day, we built something that actually matters, a community,” Dittmar said.

“We learned that success is rarely about knowing all the answers, but it is about knowing how to ask the right questions and how to recover when you definitely get it wrong. Success is often found in the grit you showed while balancing your grades, social life and your sanity,” he said.

Quoting billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffet, Dittmar said, “your ability to communicate and connect with others will often outweigh your technical expertise or job performance in the long run.”

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Members of the Class of 2026 throw their mortar boards into the air following Jersey Shore’s 73rd Annual Commencement at the school’s football stadium Saturday morning.

With the graduates’ focus shifting to the next stages of their life, Dittmar stressed the importance of looking back fondly on the memories they’ve built and those who helped them along the way.

“Remember the small stuff too. Remember the inside jokes, the teachers who cared enough to help and the friends who sat with you when you had nobody else,” he said.

“I want to begin by acknowledging that this moment isn’t mine alone. It belongs to every student sitting in front of me that has dedicated the last four years of their life to this very moment, to every loved one that encouraged us, supported us and advocated for us along the way,” Salutatorian Julia Herman said.

“It’s strange standing here right now, because for years we’ve been counting down to this moment. We talked about graduation like it was some far away finish line, and we even said things like senior year is gonna fly by, or I can’t wait to get out of here, and now it’s actually over,” Herman, an Elizabethtown College enrollee, with the three plus two accelerated physician assistant program, said.

“It started with early mornings many of us didn’t want to wake up for, assignments none of us wanted to do, but today we woke up early once again, and this time instead of class work, it’s time to graduate. The GPAs, grades and honors, although important, are not the true measure of success. The real measure of our high school experience isn’t found on our transcripts; it is found in the relationships and stories we take with us moving forward,” she said.

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Decorated mortarboards are pictured at Jersey Shore’s commencement ceremony.

While acknowledging that hardships in life are unavoidable, Herman urged her fellow graduates to reach out to others for strength in times of need, and in turn offer it when others are in need.

“There have been so many lessons and moments that have shaped us as a graduating class. Being able to reach out and find strength in others, or being able to be that strength for someone else, is something no classroom can teach you,” she said, before turning her attention to the future.

“Today we take the first of many steps towards our new goals. That first step, that’s the hardest one, the step we all procrastinate, we all overthink, but it’s the most important one,” Herman said.

“Change is uncomfortable, but it’s where we grow. I hope each one of us gets every single thing we want out of life. I hope we enjoy the big moments and savor the small ones,” she told her fellow graduates.

While most graduation speeches reflect on memories and accomplishments, Valedictorian Briar Cohick took a moment to reflect on the building the graduates called their educational home for the past four years.

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Emily Botsford receives her diploma during Jersey Shore’s 73rd Annual Commencement at the school’s football stadium Saturday morning.

“The school’s athletic and artistic achievements strung up in the gym and lobby. The quote decals on the walls that read something vague but inspirational and all the lockers in the holes that we never used,” she said.

Touching on her faith and offering a prayer, Cohick urged her fellow graduates to never stop reaching for the stars.

“We have so much in store, whether you would like to be an astronaut or a sheriff, a surgeon, or even a parent, we all have the power to achieve our goals,” she said.

“You might have even achieved your goal already if you dream of unemployment,” Cohick said, receiving a hearty laugh from the audience, allaying the worry that her jokes might “fall flat.”

“Opportunities lie everywhere around us, and it is up to us to take advantage of them,” said the Penn State University broadcast journalism major, who plans to pursue a certificate in sports journalism.

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Kale Andrew Kenneth Klinger takes a look at his diploma during Jersey Shore High School’s 73rd Annual Commencement at the school’s football stadium Saturday morning.

In order to make the most of the opportunities that come their way, Cohick stressed the importance of forming connections with others.

“Openness and kindness are the key factors to putting yourself in the perfect place to be found. Perhaps the lonely older woman down the street really appreciates it when you greet her in the morning, and she knows an employer for the field you work in,” she said.

“I truly believe all of you may achieve everything you have hoped for and remember it is never too late to follow your dreams, or to follow me on Instagram,” Cohick said, again drawing laughter from the crowd.

MARK NANCE/FOR THE EXPRESS Jersey Shore High School Valedictorian, Briar Cohick, addresses the Class of 2026 during Jersey Shore’s 73rd Annual Commencement Saturday morning.