By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
The Plainwell High School Class of 2025 will always hold a special place in PHS principal Marvin Taylor’s heart.
“With this being my first year at PHS, I will have many fond memories with this year’s graduating class,” Taylor said. “These graduating students taught me much about our school culture, the community and how our high school functions.
“I will remember those lessons and conversations with great fondness.”
He will also remember the 2025 PHS graduation ceremony—which took place at Streidl Field on Thursday, May 22—with that same fondness.
“The graduation ceremony was an amazing event with many individuals collaborating in its preparation,” Taylor said. “Amazingly, I wasn’t nervous about speaking, but was more concentrated on ensuring I didn’t stumble up or down the riser step.
“As I said in the closing remarks, I have been humbled by the community welcome I have received, and graduation night was no different. Talking with attendees afterward was more of the same, with people commenting on how much they enjoyed the ceremony.”
With the weather for graduation night uncertain, Plainwell Community Schools officials actually prepared for the ceremony to be both outside and inside the new field house.
“The seating capacity in the new field house is actually more than that of Streidl Field, so there was no concern about space,” Taylor said. “Chairs, stages and other equipment were ordered and installed in the field house, so that we could facilitate graduation indoors if needed, and with only a few hours’ notice.
“Perhaps the biggest challenge was ensuring that we were communicating effectively with the community about how the decision-making was going to occur. Members of the team stayed in contact with each other up to the day of the event with a final decision to proceed with the ceremony outside being made by noon.”
The ceremony included student addresses from Adin Young, EllaGrace Wesseldyk and Katherine Goodwin. PHS social studies teacher Hannah Skierski presented the faculty address.
And despite the wind threatening to blow away the speakers’ notes, all of the speeches were able to be delivered.
“The wind was blowing my notes around, requiring me to speak without them at one point,” Taylor said. “The wind also blew tassels off of mortarboards, so that made moving them challenging as well.”
The evening wasn’t about the wind, however. It was about the members of the graduating class.
“What stood out to me most about this year’s graduating class was the amount of initiative shown by many members of the class,” Taylor said. “Illustrative of this point was the $4 million in scholarships offered or received by the class in its entirety.
“It’s also a very athletic class as well with the boys basketball team winning districts this year, as did the girls volleyball team. So, overall, this year’s graduating class is very well-rounded in both academics and athletics.”
