Conestoga Valley High School

'Don't blink,' Buckskins are told

With a dignified air, the Conestoga Valley High School Class of 2011 walked through a long receiving line of applause on its way to the start of commencement exercises at Calvary Church Tuesday night.

But the dignified ceremony lasted only until the 293 seniors in blue and red gowns began their walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.

As soon as the first name was called, the whooping and hollering began.

Here and there, special messages were shouted out to the seniors, such as "Ooh, love you, baby!" "Way to go!" and "Hallelujah!"

The whole venue erupted with applause and cheers, and the entire senior class rose for a standing ovation when graduating senior Sara Fisher's wheelchair crossed the stage.

Fisher, who is a quadriplegic due to the neurological disorder transverse myelitis, had attended CV since third grade.

Earlier in the ceremony, senior Brianna Shenk had told her fellow graduates  "Don't blink."

Shenk told them about a country song that points out the real mystery of time.

In the song, an old man who is turning 102 is asked the secret to life.

The man, she said, says, "'Don't blink, because 100 years go faster than what you think. When your hourglass runs out of sand, you can't flip it over and start again. Take every breath God gives you for what it's worth and don't blink.'"

Shenk told her classmates that because they don't know how much sand is left in their hourglasses, they should take every day as a "new gift, a new opportunity, a new chance to live life ... ."

"It's important to remember that the rest of our lives begin right now," she said. "So pursue your interests, chase your ambitions, capture the moments, but don't blink."

Senior Sarah Rodgers quoted her favorite philosopher: Winnie the Pooh.

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think," she said.

Rodgers told her classmates to "persevere until you reach your goals, and once you've found yourself there, continue farther, because there's no real limit to what you are capable of accomplishing."

She said their goals don't have to be significant, like winning the Nobel Peace  Prize or curing cancer — that small changes and small goals can do big things for individuals and the world.

Senior Rachel Marie Richard said graduation isn't the end, but just the closing of a chapter and the celebration of the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Conestoga Valley High School volleyball coach dies in car wreck - News

A first-year Conestoga Valley High School volleyball coach was killed in a one-vehicle crash Monday night in West Lampeter Township.

Randall T. Paules, 29, of 137 N. Plum St., was driving north in the 800 block of Strasburg Pike when he lost control of his car on a bridge at Pequea Creek around 7:30 p.m., township police said.

His vehicle left the road and rolled over in a field, police said.

Paules was pronounced dead at the scene by Lancaster County Deputy Coroner Jim Lingg.

An autopsy performed Tuesday determined Paules died from multiple traumatic injuries, according to county Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni.

Paules was in his first year as coach of the girls' volleyball team, according to Conestoga Valley High School Principal Mike Thornton.

He said Paules also helped with the boys' team and was a part-time instructional aide in the school's math department.

"We certainly feel great sorrow for his family," Thornton said Tuesday. "It's very much of a shock for everyone today, students and staff."

Thornton said school officials met with members of the girls' and boys' volleyball teams prior to informing the rest of the student body of Paules' death.

He said guidance counselors were available for students Tuesday.

Thornton remembered Paules as an energetic and passionate person, traits that were "infectious" with his team members.

"He was a sincere person who was finding his way in life," Thornton said of Paules, who, he said, also worked as a server at The Log Cabin restaurant. "He was looking for something fulfilling, and I think he was finding that in education.

"Even though he didn't spend a lot of time here, I can tell you he'll be missed greatly."

A 2000 graduate of Hempfield High School, Paules was the son of Christine M. Eshelman, wife of Vincent R. Eshelman II, and Thomas F. Paules, husband of Melanie.

The cause of the crash was still under investigation Tuesday night. Police said a portion of Strasburg Pike was closed for more than three hours while police and the county's crash team investigated the wreck Monday night.

Lampeter and Willow Street fire companies also responded to the crash, police said.

rrobinson@lnpnews.com

jtodd@lnpnews.com

We welcome opinions and information from all points of view. They enrich our news coverage.

The Sparrow

CIC's school directory

Cyber Law, Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms

A study on how well Conestoga Valley junior high school, meets the summer activity needs of its seventh grade students. A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School, Millersville State College, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education

Cic's School Directory. Complete Set, 1993-94