Dressed in caps and gowns of red and black, the Saucon Valley HS class of 2015 slowly filled the six rows of chairs waiting on the stage in the auditorium as the familiar tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" was played and repeated.

The 183 students recognized at the commencement ceremony were invited by various speakers over the course of the night to recall memories from their years at Saucon Valley.

Before discussing what Saucon had taught him over the years, both inside and outside the classroom, Class President Christopher Magan began his welcome address by creating a new memory by using a "selfie stick" to capture a picture of his classmates.

"We all knew that one day we'd be up on this stage in our caps and gowns. We also knew that some of us may never see each other again. But that doesn't mean we didn't make memories along the way," Magan said.

Class-selected faculty speaker Jeremy Kittek reflected on his time as senior class advisor, sharing his thoughts on what the journey meant to him before giving the students a few last pieces of advice.

"Do not wish to be anything but what you are and try to be that perfectly," Kittek said, quoting St. Francis DeSales. He encouraged the students to take risks, take their time finding a major and not be afraid to change their minds.

Rather than preparing a speech, co-salutatorians Kelsy Lysek and Allen Meadows continued the theme of memories with a video, chronicling the seniors' lives from kindergarten through their final year of schooling, passing along the message that they are all not a finished product, but a work in progress.

When Valedictorian Matthew Cherry took the podium, the reality was that the following day the familiar faces of the students and walls of the building seen in the video would no longer be part of his peers' everyday lives.

The accomplishments of the senior class were then celebrated when Principal Eric Kahler asked each recipient of a graduation award to stand. In total, the class was granted 73 awards.

The audience rose in a standing ovation after Kahler spoke about Jose Angel Mojica, a member of the senior class who lost his life to leukemia at age 16 but would always be remembered as a part of the class of 2015. The calling of Mojica's name during the presentation of diplomas was met with the same response.

In final remarks before the class was presented and the Alma Mater was sung, Kahler left the graduating class with a message about the inner strength found within each of them: "Mountains are meant to be climbed. Wounds are meant to be healed. Problems are meant to be learning experiences. ... We can look at mountains as being in the way or as 'the way' to growth," he said.

"It's not the destination in life that matters."