Garden Spot townlively.com
MAY 28, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 23
Words and stories Garden Spot High School schedules graduation BY ANN MEAD ASH
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Members of the Garden Spot High School Class of 2025 Morgan Watt (left) and Summer Stern have both prepared speeches to present at their upcoming graduation ceremony.
hen close to 200 Garden Spot High School (GSHS) students graduate at the school, 669 E. Main St., New Holland, on Friday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m., two members of the Class of 2025 will address their fellow classmates, family members, faculty, and friends. Morgan Watt, daughter of Kim and Phil Watt of New Holland, and Summer Stern, daughter of Nikki and JD Stern of East Earl, were both chosen from among several students who auditioned to speak. Morgan has titled her speech “Formative Words.” “It’s about how our spoken and written words have brought us to this graduating moment,” she stated. “One of the main purposes (of my speech) is to honor every aspect of every high-schooler and reaffirm that all the graduates have made an impact on the school.” Morgan is glad she attended GSHS because of the support system of faculty, fellow students, and advisers. She is especially thankful for Garden Spot Performing Arts (GSPA) advisers and her science teachers and coaches.
Making music together
Bringing resources to the community
BY ANN MEAD ASH
BY ANN MEAD ASH
Sandy Gideon, pastor of St. John Center Lutheran Church, is looking forward to the Music Sunday event that will be held at the church, 599 Reading Road, East Earl, on Sunday, June 1, beginning at 10:45 a.m. “(Music Sunday) is a chance for people to come and have a fun day of music and singing and fellowship,” said Gideon. Music Sunday has been held at the church since the 1980s, when Vickie Kissinger became the direc- Choirs from St. John Center Lutheran Church in East Earl and
Shortly after the EL ANCO M e n t a l He a l t h C o m m i t t e e (EMHC) formed in 2023, members of the group began manning a display table at the monthly community meals. “(Being at) those community meals, (we) are a face-to-face help between an agency person and a community member,” explained EMHC representative John Robbins. “Once they are used to talking to us, we can help
Mellingers Lutheran in Stevens will join voices to celebrate Music
See Music Sunday pg 3 Sunday.
guide that conversation (toward connecting with mental health resources) along.” “We’re seeing the more we’re present and the more we’re there, people are more comfortable because they’re getting to know us,” added committee member Christine Ansari. The experience made it clear that a resource fair could be an effective way to connect members of the community with mental health resources. The first Jump Into Summer See CrossNet Ministries pg 2
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Church plans special service
Following graduation, Morgan plans to attend Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., near Charlotte, where she will study biology with hopes of eventually becoming a cardiologist. Summer titled her speech “Where Our Stories Met.” “(In my speech) I talk a lot about appreciating the distinct stories each person possesses and how through GSHS we have shared these experiences together, and they are part of our stories now,” she said. “As we move on, the rest of our story is unwritten, and it is for us to discover.” Summer is glad she attended GSHS because of the many and various activities in which she participated. She listed being part of the yearbook staff, volleyball team, GSPA, and National Honor Society among those. In the fall, she plans to attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she will study biology with the goal of becoming an optometrist. She said she is especially thankful to her coaches and her classmates, whom she called both “supportive and competitive academic people.” Tickets are necessary to attend the graduation ceremony.