Life is full of surprises.

But nobody in their right mind could have predicted a pandemic. The school year didn’t end how any of the 171 graduating Tamaqua Area High School seniors could have ever imagined.

But the class of 2020 was resilient, as superintendent Ray Kinder said in his speech. The graduates were finally able to celebrate with each other in person at commencement on Friday night.

“Between sports, the band and two amazing drama club shows to look forward to, we knew it was our year and it was until March 13, as we roamed the halls not knowing it would be our last time doing so,” said 2020 Class Vice President Rebekah Hromyak. “The rest of the year went by in a blur and now all of the sudden we are sitting here, ready to ship out into the real world. Since our first day of high school we have been working toward today. There have been highs and lows wins and losses, and of course, we cannot forget the pandemic, but through it all we have persevered.”

Class president and valedictorian Lottie Mateyak urged her peers to reflect on all of the incredible milestones and accomplishments that the class of 2020 achieved.

“We can’t act like everything that happened was completely bad,” she said. “When was the last senior class to get an entire parade dedicated to them through the middle of town? Or to watch Mr. McCabe do a TikTok dance hilariously off beat?”

Mateyak earned a cumulative grade-point average of over 100, as did Sarah Frantz, who ranked No. 2 in the class. Both were two of four TAHS students to do so.

“Plus, there was the whole beginning of the year that it seems like everyone is completely forgetting about,” Mateyak said. “The football team had one of the most successful seasons in Tamaqua history. The band reached 200 members for the first time ever. The drama club was on a winning streak of plays and musicals …”

The guest speaker was Dr. Matthew Zuber, a 2007 Tamaqua Area High School graduate. Zuber attended Ursinus College and then completed medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem. Zuber then moved to Virginia and completed four years of residency in OB/GYN at the University of Virginia and is now based at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, finishing a fellowship training in women’s health in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He joined Friday’s commencement through a prerecorded video.

“You might be leaving high school with a sort of life blueprint in your mind,” Zuber said. “If you are wise, you will know that too often, people hold onto those blueprints a little too closely and are afraid to scrap the blueprint and go back to the drawing board.”

Fifty-one students will head to a four-year university, 91 plan to pursue associate degree programs, business or trade schools, eight will enter a branch of the military, 10 will enter the profession of education and 11 have made commitments for employment.

“Finally, create a purpose for yourself and your goals,” said principal Thomas McCabe. “Make time each day to find time to love yourself and love others. Find a reason to laugh, so that you may bring joy to those you encounter. Develop a passion for respect - respect for yourself and others. Too often we forget that respect is earned through actions, not just out of demand. This has been one of the most impressive classes ever to graduate from Tamaqua.”