First senior class graduates from Bayard Rustin High

Bayard Rustin High School celebrated its first graduation ceremony last Thursday, as seniors and their families filled the school's football stadium to say good-bye Chester Area School District's third high school.

Most of the 269 graduates who received their diplomas on June 12 entered Rustin when it opened in fall 2006. Rustin cost more than $46 million, built on 108 acres off of Shiloh Road the district purchased for about $16.5 million. The school's construction was part of a secondary schools overhaul in the district that included renovations to both Henderson and East High Schools.

Valedictorian Peter Jin and Salutorian Frances Wang both spoke on stage during Thursday's ceremony, and superintendent Alan Elko and Rustin principal Phyllis Simmons also made speeches to the crowd.

   Will Hobson