MCC_061726

JUNE 17, 2026

Growing Up in Elverson

BY LOGAN MOYER

Six cows per person.

That is what graduate

Sloane Wolfe said it means to grow up in Elverson when she spoke at Twin Valley High School’s graduation ceremony at Santander Arena on the morning of June 6.

“Our town of just 1,330 people, most people hear that and think that they understand rural life,” she said. “Fields, livestock, space and quiet, but rural life to me means so much more than that.”

Wolfe related her experience of working at a roadside strawberry stand during summers to growth, stating that the strawberries grew from little white flowers to green berries before reaching their final form as the red, juicy strawberry.

“No matter how far they travel, their sweetness carries the memory of life in rural Berks County,” she said. “But much like strawberries, we can grow, reach, explore the world, and still belong.”

She said that no matter where her and her fellow graduates go, whether it be college, the workforce,

local or thousands of miles away, the lessons learned in rural Berks County and Twin Valley will always follow them.

This year’s graduating class is an accomplished one. Of the school’s 253 graduating students, 116 were either members of National Honor Society or graduated with distinguished honors. Those in the class who are attending a postsecondary institution have

earned $19 million in merit aid, along with an additional $120,000 of locally sourced scholarships.

The latter figure is the largest in Twin Valley history.

“That reflects this community’s deep commitment to investing in the future of its young people,” Twin Valley High School principal William Clements said.

The Class of 2026’s senior officers were Josh Cullen, president;

See Twin Valley pg 2

Daniel Boone Celebrates Graduation

BY LOGAN MOYER

Moments matter.

That was the message from Daniel Spotts, a new graduate of Daniel Boone Area High School, while speaking at the school’s graduation ceremony on June 5 at the district’s stadium in Birdsboro.

Spotts said the inspiration for his remarks came from his lacrosse coach, who used the phrase regularly.

“At the time, I never realized how meaningful such a simple

OJR Celebrates 71st Graduating Class

BY LOGAN MOYER

You are random.

That is what somebody told Owen J. Roberts (OJR) High School valedictorian Alejandro Vidal in the middle of a conversation weeks ago. At first, Vidal didn’t think the description fit him.

“For four years, I’ve had the same routine,” Vidal said at the school’s 71st annual graduation ceremony, held at the football stadium on June 5. “Wake up with just enough time to get ready ... walk into the same building, sit in the same seats, see the same faces, follow the same bell schedule day after day after day. How was I random?” Then, he thought about it. Vidal harkened back to receiving an envelope weeks ago, which contained a list of achievements that his eighth-grade self felt he needed to accomplish to be considered a success.

He then spoke of different experiences from his four years of high school, including sneaking into Phoenixville Area High School’s senior prom with his older brother as a freshman, being the DJ for a Halloween party at a last-minute notice and going skydiving.

“The person who wrote that letter would have struggled to recognize the person standing here today,” said Vidal, who will head to Penn State in the fall to study mechanical engineering. Vidal challenged his peers to escape their comfort zone and try new things, likening his

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skydiving experience to the journey of life.

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“I want you to board that plane and make that leap, no matter how uncomfortable it feels,” he said. “Because sometimes, the most important moments in life happen off-script. When you look back on your life, you’ll never regret the opportunities you took advantage of, only the ones you missed.”

On a similar note, district super-

Twin Valley

Lyndzee Anderson, vice president; Grace Kelly, vice president; Shreeya Patel, secretary; and Kenadie Shreiner, treasurer.

Sarah Lerch, daughter of Gary and Kelly Lerch of Honey Brook, was honored as salutatorian. Madelyn Vandergoes, daughter of Chris and Kristin Vandergoes

intendent Will Stout gave graduates one simple piece of guidance heading into the next step of their lives: Be curious.

He asked graduates to think critically, to ask questions and to never stop learning. He stated that curiosity is the spark behind every discovery, every innovation and every meaningful relationship.

“Throughout your years at Owen J. Roberts, we have encouraged

from pg 1

of Honey Brook, was named valedictorian.

While delivering her remarks, Vandergoes addressed her reputation as a demanding person, for herself, her peers and the world around her. She challenged graduates to prepare for adult life, saying that there will not be

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you to think critically, act compassionately and achieve success,” he said. “Our vision at Owen J. Roberts is to be a learning community that embraces a growth mindset, celebrates each person’s uniqueness and engages in continuous innovation.”

Also at the ceremony, class salutatorian Sohun Bandyopadhyay, executive council president Vansh Agarwal and senior class director

Ben Herreda spoke to their peers. School board president Rita Pederson, who had a graduate of her own, and high school principal Steven Kollar also delivered remarks, with the latter leaving graduates with an encouraging message.

“There is so much talent in this group,” Kollar said. “They have had a lasting impact on our school community.”

a rubric grading them for the rest of their lives.

“Growth rarely happens when someone lowers the bar for you,” she said. “It happens when someone believes you are capable of more and refuses to let you settle for less.”

It was a doubly special day

for the senior members of Twin Valley’s boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams, both of which competed in and won PIAA Class 2A state quarterfinal playoff games later on Saturday following the ceremony. The boys defeated Scranton Prep 11-9, while the girls took down Gwynedd Mercy 15-4.

Caribbean Festival Posted

The Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Association will hold a Caribbean festival on Saturday, June 27, from 1 to 7 p.m. at 1326 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore. The event will feature a live reggae band, a live soca band, wine tastings, food, and vendors.

Attendees will receive a souvenir beverage glass.

The event is open to people age 21 and over. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for “Reggae & Soca Wine Music Festival.”

America’s 250 at the Homestead

There

BY LOGAN MOYER

The Daniel Boone Homestead will host an event honoring America’s 250th anniversary from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, at the homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Road, Birdsboro.

The event will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The event will be an “immersive, living history event featuring Colonial and early American demonstrations, trades and activities,” said Amanda Machik, director of the museum.

“In 1775, while the first shots of the American Revolution were being fired in Massachusetts, Daniel Boone was blazing the Wilderness Trail and leading settlers westward into what would eventually become Kentucky,

already expanding what would soon become the United States of America,” Machik said. “Daniel’s second oldest son was killed during the Battle of Blue Licks, the only documented incident of Boone fighting in the American Revolution.”

Attendees at the event will also have the opportunity to engage with re-enactors and listen to the Brandywine Colonials Fife and Drum Corps during the afternoon. Toward the end of the event, there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence and live music by the Haycreek Valley Goldband to celebrate the country’s anniversary.

Visitors can also enjoy a tour through the historic Boone House and see an open-hearth cooking demonstration. There will also be an American Indian display to learn about the

role the Indigenous people played in America’s fight for independence. At the Bertolet Log House, visitors will hear from living history interpreters and can participate in a muster activity using wooden dummy guns and swords.

“I am looking forward to the entire event,” Machik said. “I have been working on this for just under a year, and to see everything come together at the end is very exciting. I always enjoy talking to visitors during our events and hearing what their favorite activities and demonstrations were and how much fun they had, especially those with children.”

For children, there will be hands-on activities like quill pen writing, as well as Colonial toys and games. There will also be a 4,500-pound cannon from the Warwick Furnace, which was discovered 30 inches deep into the ground in 2022 at the site.

”I love it when children who attended our field trips bring their families back for an event,” Machik said. “I am also very excited for the General Washington interpreter who will be on-site for the afternoon. We are partnering with Washington Crossing Historic Park and bringing their resident first-person Washington

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phrase could become,” he said.

Robertson’s struggles, perseverance, and the faith that restored their family. FREE

will be shown at pavilion, located just west of the church, behind the cemetery on Rt. 322

5971 Division Hwy., Narvon PA (2.2 miles east of Rt. 897 along Rt. 322)

“Most people think moments matter only when something good happens, like winning a game, acing a test or accomplishing a goal, but I think the moments that matter most are often the difficult ones. Moments matter when you fail, because failure teachers you what not to do. Those are the moments that force you to grow.”

Spotts, who received third honors in the Class of 2026, asked his fellow graduates to appreciate the moment happening right in front of them.

“At almost every school, the valedictorian and salutatorian give speeches, while third place

basically gets a participation trophy and moves on,” he said, noting his unfamiliarity with public speaking. “Then I found out Daniel Boone is apparently one of those rare schools where a third of the class gets to speak.”

Class valedictorian Christopher Landis delivered remarks centered around challenging his peers to think for themselves in a world where it is so easy to do the opposite.

“When I sat down to write this speech, I thought it would be easier to use ChatGPT, make a few edits and then read it to you all here today,” he said. “The fact that AI could have done this for me isn’t the interesting part. What is far more concerning is that whenever we use AI for something, we’re letting someone else do our thinking for us.”

Landis harkened back on the hundreds of essays and thousands of math problems that his class had to solve over the course of 13 years to graduate, most of which came long before artificial intelligence was developed and became widely accessible. He said that most students won’t remember court case precedents or regularly use sine, cosine and tangent, but that those classes mattered in a different way.

“(Those classes) taught us how to think,” he said. “Improving ourselves means we all need to keep putting in a lot of effort and keep thinking. Leaving this school tonight should not be the end of learning.”

Similarly, class president Samuel Tighe asked his peers to keep a youthful mindset, saying that childhood does not end on a random Friday. Salutatorian and class vice president Taylor Morba also delivered two separate remarks, most notably using the analogy of a pencil and how it is sharpened and can write whatever it wants to.

This year’s graduating class was the 70th in Daniel Boone history. Brianna Bodolos was the class secretary, while Callista Basile served as class treasurer.

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Homestead

interpreter to Boone for this event.”

The homestead hosts various different community-oriented events throughout the year, including children’s day in May, Heritage Day in October and a holiday event in December.

“The 250th event is a much larger event than our typical living history events in terms of the demonstrations, activities, presentations and displays that will be offered,” Machik said. An admission fee will be charged; preregistration is not required. Children age 5 and under may enter at no cost, as well as Daniel Boone Homestead Associates (DBHA) members. No pets, except service animals, and no smoking are permitted. For more information about the event, visit www.thedanielboonehomestead .org.

The homestead is the birthplace

from pg 3

of the historic frontiersman, born in 1734. It is located on 579 acres of countryside in Birdsboro in the epicenter of the tri-county area. It is operated by the DBHA, a local non-

profit organization.

For more information about the homestead, call 610-582-4900 or search for “Daniel Boone Homestead” on Facebook.

Church Plans Car Show

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1035 Old River Road, Birdsboro, will host its 16th annual car show on Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine.

The car show is open to all makes, models, and years of cars and trucks. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 participants. A cash grand prize will be awarded, and car owners will be eligible to win door prizes.

In addition, the event will include music provided by a DJ;

food, including baked goods; a flea market; and giveaway drawings. Handicapped-accessible parking will be available.

There is a discount for vehicle owners who register in advance. Registration will be full price on the day of the events. Vendors may also register for a fee. To register and for more information, call Carol at 610-823-2730 or the church at 610-582-3655.

The road to the church is open, and drivers should follow the detour signs.