Valedictorian Sharon Pantano and salutatorian Paige Neher reflect on their time at Shawnee as they prepare for graduation day.
Academic success came naturally to valedictorian Sharon Pantano and salutatorian Paige Neher. Throughout their time at Shawnee High School, the two kept the mindset of staying self-motivated and trying their best, which led them to the top of their class.
They both remained active during their high school careers through extracurricular activities. Pantano was drum major/conductor of the marching band, a member of wind ensemble, Latin club, National Honor Society and winter and spring stage crew.
Pantano reminisced on her time spent in marching band, and recalled her most valued memory at Shawnee as the time the band won the state championship in 2016, where she was assistant woodwind captain.
“Marching band was definitely my favorite part of high school, I took a lot of pride in what I did with that,” Pantano said.
Neher was active in three sports, being captain of the swim team this past season, a cross country runner and being on the spring track team. She is a member of National Honor Society and a part of the youth group at her church, Hope United Methodist Church, located in Voorhees, which she meets with for two hours every Sunday.
She has gone on mission trips every summer since she was in seventh grade, where she travels to different states for a week to partake in volunteer work. She has been to North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama, to name a few places.
Neher’s speech is focused around the process of finding yourself and encouraging others to be the best version of themselves.
“My speech is basically about self-discovery and the journey of finding yourself through high school and how it continues after high school,” Neher said. “I’ve always been interested in bettering myself as a person and being the best I can be with reaching my full potential.”
Similarly, Pantano hopes to motivate her classmates and encourage them to leave their comfort zone and to expand their minds.
“I’d say mine is about having an open mind, having different perspectives and broadening yourself,” Pantano said. “I got most of my inspiration [for the speech] from my U.S. History 2 teacher, Mrs. Lorenz.”
Pantano stated the idea was sparked after Christine Lorenz shared her thoughts on college in class one day, saying college is not just about learning as much as you can in a classroom, it’s about broadening yourself.
When reflecting on their time at Shawnee, Pantano and Neher agreed one of their most engaging classes was AP Biology, taught by Kelly Eichman. Pantano also said her AP Chemistry class taught by Sarah Howarth had an impact on her future, and her class is what made Pantano realize she wanted to follow a science-based route in college.
Pantano will head to University of the Sciences to pursue her doctorate in pharmacy. Neher will move forward to Rutgers New Brunswick to study food science.
The two will be attending Project Graduation at the International Skating Center in Cherry Hill as a final celebration with the classmates after the graduation ceremony, which will be held at Shawnee on June 21 at 6 p.m.
