Two Panther Valley seniors tied for top academic student in their class.

Ava Alabovitz and Caroline Breslin were named co-valedictorians and spoke during commencement exercises in the Lansford Stadium on Friday night.

Alabovitz is also the senior class president, while Breslin is class secretary. The president passed the class colors to Bradley Barlett, president of the Class of 2027.

The departing seniors were urged by Alabovitz to continue seeking answers. Breslin paid tribute to a cherished and well-known former Panther Valley student and athlete who died in a vehicle crash. She related how that untimely death made her realize the importance of character.

The main speaker was Barb Falco, valedictorian of the Panther Valley High School Class of 1983 and a graduate of Penn State University.

She is the owner of a pharmaceutical firm that she started and helped grow into a billion-dollar corporation.

She said that her father was one of the last deep coal miners in the state, and her mother was a waitress. Falco passed on advice that her parents gave her, which included to work hard and pursue your dreams.

“Our world is rapidly changing,” Falco said. “Embrace those changes.”

She also stressed making good choices.

“You are just beginning your journey in life,” Falco said. “Always take time to appreciate the journey.”

In her talk as class president, Alabovitz praised the genuine caring displayed by her teachers and parents. She was presented with her diploma by her father, Michael, a school board member.

Gavin Yuricheck, who ranked third in the class, was given his diploma by his father, Ronald, who also is a board member.

Daniel Matika, school board president, handed out the remainder of the diplomas.

With every diploma there was a handwritten note for the recipient.

“It is a personal note from a staff member that adopted you and wanted to write encouraging words for you to read,” Principal Patricia Ebbert said.

She told the students, “Reflect on their words, take note of what they are telling you. Whenever you find that life is a challenge and you are unable to soar, reach out to them for guidance.”

A butterfly release was orchestrated by Ebbert, who used the colorful, resilient lepidopterans as metaphors for her topic. She explained the life cycle of the butterfly and the process for it to morph from an egg, to a chrysalis, and eventually to the butterfly stage.

“When a butterfly first comes out of the chrysalis, its wings are weak. It must struggle to break free — and that struggle is essential,” Ebbert said. “Without that struggle, it would never take flight. And that’s where you are today. … It is the moment you realize you have wings.”

Upon releasing the butterflies, she said, “My wish for you is that you fly as high as they do.”

Alabovitz told her classmates that despite having attained the honor of valedictorian, “I’m standing here in the same place as all of you, regardless of the title that was bestowed upon me.”

“What I’ve learned over the past few months is that maybe graduation isn’t about having all the answers,” she said. “Maybe it’s about learning how to ask the right questions.”

Alabovitz said that she asked numerous teachers, “If you could give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be?”

The responses she received were shared in her speech, which ranged from spending time with the people you love, stepping out of your comfort zone more often, planning now for retirement and experiencing new places, cultures and people. That advice also included, “Believe in yourself. Believe that you have as much potential as those around you.”

Breslin thanked “the individuals who helped get us here today.”

“Thank you to all the mothers, fathers, siblings, stepparents, grandparents, coaches, teachers and other role models for the endless amount of support throughout our high school journey.”

She recalled her high school days with humor. Then she added, “But somewhere between all those ordinary moments, we learned something significant about life. We learned that people leave impacts, without even realizing it. For the Panther Valley community, and everyone in attendance today, Stephen Hood was one of those people.”

Hood was a 2024 graduate of Panther Valley who died in a motor vehicle crash in December.

“It reminded all of us how fragile life is,” Breslin said. “I realized how strange it is that someone can be gone, yet somehow everywhere at the same time — in conversations, memories, stories and in the way people continue carrying pieces of themselves in order to move forward every single day.

“Stephen’s impact was so powerful, not because of his popularity or his athletic recognition. It was his character: the way he treated people, the way he made others feel important, the way people still smile before they cry when they talk about him. That kind of legacy cannot be measured by awards or accomplishments. It is measured by the lives someone changes simply by being themselves.”