raduate Sirtaj Kahlon with (from left) her uncle, Lakhbir Kahlon; father, Avtar Singh; mother, Jatinder Kahlon; and brother, Mansimran Kahlon. Photo by Bonnie Hobbs.
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Dave Jagels has only been Centreville High’s principal since January, but he’s already become a proud Wildcat. And his feelings were evident during the school’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 23, at GMU’s Patriot Center.
“We’re the last FCPS high school to graduate,” he told the crowd. “Clearly, they’ve saved the best for last.”
Saying how “honored and privileged” he was to be at the graduation, Jagels said he was impressed by the students’ performances on stage, in the classroom and on the athletic field. “Six million dollars in scholarship money was given to [a total of] 145 students, and 134 students have 4.0 or better GPAs – our highest number ever,” he said. “And eight seniors received scholarships to military academies.”
“You are spirited, talented, successful individuals for whom the future is extremely bright,” continued Jagels. “Congratulations, Class of 2015; go and write the rest of your life story.”
Then Faculty Award Committee Chair Amy Balint presented the Faculty Award to this year’s senior who especially displayed character and scholarship, made contributions to the school and community, and best exemplified being a true Wildcat. It went to Sajal Rohatgi, and Balint described him as an “intrinsic learner, excited by knowledge and well-versed in world affairs and current events.”
“He’s a natural leader in the classroom and throughout the school and is president of several clubs,” she said. “He’s an SGA board member, was secretary general of the Model U.N. and organized the 2015 conference here at Centreville High. And he was also part of the State Championship football team.”
Giving the Centreville Scholar address was Alyssa Kim. “Class of 2015, we finally did it,” she said. “Our class has made immeasurable contributions to sports, the arts, service and academic programs. And the memories we’ve made will always be remembered. Make sure to pursue a life you want to live and be true to yourself. Let your experience shape your future. Use your knowledge, heart and passion to create a world you want to live in. Have a vision, take action and make it happen, yourself.”
Kim told her classmates that graduating from high school is only the start of an “amazing journey. We’ve shared failures, triumphs, good times and bad times. It is time to start creating the legacies we will leave behind for ourselves.”
Jaycen Armstrong, a 1996 Centreville High graduate, gave the commencement address, starting by telling the seniors, “Nineteen years ago, I was sitting right where you are.” Now, he’s a freelance producer in Los Angeles and has won two Emmy awards. His 2013 Emmy was for an anti-bullying PSA (public service announcement) about Ben Horowitz, a 14-year-old filmmaker from Pennsylvania, and he spoke to the students about it.
“It wasn’t just that he was bullied, but what he did about it,” said Armstrong. The teen co-wrote and co-directed his own, anti-bullying PSA. So Armstrong met, interviewed and did a story about him. “He was bullied old-style, shoved into lockers, etc.,” said Armstrong. “But he let people know it wasn’t OK and he never got cynical or gave up.”
So, Armstrong told the students, “You should approach life with great thought, compassion and openness. Astronaut Neil Armstrong [who walked on the moon] was quiet, listened to others, thought about things and then gave his answer. That’s why he got to be the first guy in line to the lunar gift shop. Never give in to cynicism, try new things. If it’s a complete bust, you’ll learn something and be the wiser for it.”