Avon graduates nearly 400, remembers two lost classmates

Editor's Note: this article has been updated to correct an error. AVON — Avon High School graduated nearly 400 students during its commencement ceremony on Tuesday, one of its largest senior classes ever. But, among the joy and excitement for hundreds of families, the Avon Schools community took a moment to celebrate two classmates who would not be making the walk: Paul "Luke" Lucas Allen and Kaleb Keffer. Allen, 18, died when he accidentally fell from a friend's car in April and Keffer was killed in a car crash in 2022, when he was 16. "They are with us in spirit, and are not forgotten," Avon High School Principal Kristina Buller said. Two seats were left open for Allen and Keffer among the graduates, and every member of the senior class was given a yellow ribbon bearing a picture of Kaleb by the Keffer family. Hannah Allen stood before the empty seat left for her brother to accept a symbolic diploma on his behalf, while seniors Nikolas Kalamaras and Corey Thompson accepted one for Keffer. "So that these classmates may sit amongst us and their peers," Buller said. After a moment of silence, Buller went on to call out and recognize the academic, athletic and artistic accomplishments of her departing seniors. That feat took over 10 minutes. The first commencement speaker was Senior Class President Thomas "Tommy" Freeman, who told his classmates that although achievement and success are great, they did not mean everything. "I know the class of 2024 has always been ambitious," Freeman said. "Across our class, we will be attending universities in 23 different states with specializations in more than 40 different majors. Because of our ambition, many of you will lead highly successful professional lives. However, this world is too wrought with tragedy to not also be ambitious in our pursuits of impacting others. As real meaning in life comes from emotional impact on others." He said that the members of the Class of 2024 had always been able to put that ambition aside to form an emotional support system for one another, and encouraged them to carry that concept with them. "What matters most is how you affect people emotionally," Freeman said. "I for one will never remember what grade anyone got in high school geometry, but I will remember the way they made me laugh, or the way their voice would light up a room." The senior commencement speaker was Ishani Kishorepuria, who was selected by the faculty members of the high school's English Department. Kishorepuria recounted growing up the daughter of two Indian immigrants, and wondered aloud about how her school experience would have been different had her parents not moved to Avon. She said she felt her life would be more focused on academics, and without the well-roundedness and joy she said life in Avon brought her. "I want to thank Avon High School and all of its faculty members for being the canvas my life has been painted on," Kishorepuria said. "And to my fellow graduates, as we move along in life, we will always be asked the question 'Where are you from?' I want you to imagine that moment when you're filled with pride and you say 'I'm from Avon, Ohio.'" Before he accepted the Class of 2024, Superintendent Ben Hodge reminded his students of the difficulties they had faced throughout their academic careers. He promised them that these struggles left them more than prepared for the world. "Graduates, we celebrate you because you figured out how to manage high school," he said. "And at times it wasn't easy, was it? Guess what, life's not easy either, but I promise you — as you did in high school through some of those tough times — all things achieved are more rewarding when you sweat and you persevere to achieve them." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.