Milton Hershey School Seniors’ Breakthrough is Coming
By Pastor Will Ogle, MHS Director of Religious Programs
As we kick off the last week of school reflecting on the journey of Milton Hershey School’s Class of 2024, I was reminded of a topic we covered in August at the first chapel of the year: choosing the right doors. Our soon-to-be graduates will bring talents, experiences, and mindsets that our world desperately needs. It was our job to prepare them to make a positive impact on the world.
That starts with choosing the right doors to break through. We have all come across doors that are closed because people put up stipulations, restrictions, or obstacles. But MHS Spartans know how to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. They know that a setback can be a setup for future success. And they know that barriers are just breeding grounds for Breakthroughs.
Because of their mindsets, there are Breakthroughs on the horizon for the MHS Class of 2024. Whether in cancer research, combating the rising tide of mental health issues plaguing young generations, or correcting political and cultural divisiveness, Breakthrough is coming.
As I prepared for our final Chapel Service of the 2023-24 school year, I reflected on the time Jesus gathered his disciples after his resurrection. He encouraged them to be his witnesses, and to go to the ends of the Earth with his message, multiplying what they had heard, seen, and were taught. While they were an unlikely group of people to carry out this task, he had faith in them.
Like the disciples, nearly 200 members of the MHS Class of 2024 are venturing into a world that sometimes can be plagued with duplicity, apathy, divisiveness, and cynicism. But we have equipped them with our Sacred Values of Integrity, Commitment to Mission, Positive Spirit, and Mutual Respect as tools for their journey.
Our students are entering a world that often lacks those very same values. We know that MHS has taught them the art of finishing a task, speaking the truth at all times, finding joy in every situation, and loving their neighbor.
On June 9, 2024, when the doors of GIANT Center fling open and our graduates walk out for the last time, we will announce to the world that Breakthrough is coming. I know that good will be multiplied wherever they go.
Paraphrased from a message Pastor Ogle delivered at Milton Hershey School’s 2024 Senior Chapel and Awards Ceremony.
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Rewatch the 2024 Senior Chapel and Awards Ceremony
