Take chances and remember your roots, Wall of Fame inductees advise SV Class of 2025

SHENANDOAH – “Fear is temporary. Regret lasts much longer.”

Rebecca “Becky” Kayes shared that advice with the Shenandoah Valley Jr./Sr. High School Class of 2025 Monday night as she and two other outstanding were inducted into the Wall of Fame.

“Every great story, every life-changing moment, begins with a single decision to step into the unknown. To take a risk. To say, ‘What if I try?’, or ‘What if I do it,'” Kayes shared. “But here’s the truth: most people don’t. They hold back. Not because they’re lazy or weak—but because they’re afraid. Afraid to fail. Afraid to look foolish. Afraid they’re not good enough.”

“I’ve felt it too. And so will you,” the 2000 SV grad added.

Kayes said she changed majors twice at college upon graduation at SV. After returning home to take care of her mother, she went back to school changed course to one that would take her around the world.

“I went to college right out of high school thinking I would be an athletic trainer. I changed my major to psychology,” Kayes said. “Then my mom got sick, throwing a wrench to those plans. I chose to leave college at the time. I eventually went back and got a degree in surgical technology.”

That degree came from the Pennsylvania College of Technology with an internship at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where she applied and was hired as a certified surgical technologist in the cardiac operating room.

There, she worked with one of the leading surgeons at the hospital and, in 2013, she was Johns Hopkins Surgical Technologist of the Year. Her work has taken her to Italy, Cambodia, and Costa Rica as part of a humanitarian team.

It also involved a move to Chicago.

“Here’s what I’ve learned: Fear is temporary. Regret lasts much longer. What if I didn’t take that job? What if I didn’t move? What if I didn’t take that chance? I never wanted to think, “What if?” You don’t grow by staying safe. You grow by doing the hard thing, by taking the chance, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Some chances will lead to success. Others might lead to failure. But every single one will lead to growth. And that growth? That’s what shapes who you become.”

“If I can leave you with any advice, I’d tell you to take the leap,” Kayes said. “Because even if you fall, you’ll fall forward and you’ll grow from it. And one day, you’ll look back—not with regret, but with pride—knowing you were brave enough to bet on yourself.”

Kayes was not the only Wall of Fame inductee Monday who dedicated themselves to public service.

Shenandoah Fire Chief Rick Examitas, Class of 1992, has been in the fire service since he was a teenager.

“For over 35 years, I have been a volunteer EMT and firefighter and am proud to serve my community,” Examitas told the graduates.

He began his career as a junior firefighter with the defunct West End Fire Co. in Lost Creek and later with the William Penn Fire Co.

Examitas was salutatorian of his graduating class in 1992.

“As all graduates, we were on top of the world, having finally met this milestone called graduation,” Examitas said. “Some of our classmates went onto college, trade school, the military, and some just entered the workforce.”

One thing that sets him apart from many of the graduates selected for the Wall of Fame — he is one of the select few who did not seek a college degree.

“Many thought I should be headed to college in the Fall, but for me that just wasn’t where I felt I belonged,” Examitas said.

“While in high school, I participated in activities and was a member of the National Honor Society. For me the National Honor Society’s commitment to service, leadership, character and scholarship took on a different meaning,” he added. “While in high school I joined the local ambulance association and fire company and was drawn to the idea of public service. With the support of my parents, I entered the workforce after graduation doing a variety of jobs while becoming more involved in the world of EMS and the fire service.”

READ MORE >> A TURNING POINT IN OUR LIVES: Shenandoah graduates reflect on years past, road ahead

In 1994, he began his career as a telecommunicator at the Schuylkill County Communications Center. He was 20 at the time and has been there ever since.

Examitas was the fire marshal for the Phoenix Fire Co. in Shenandoah from 2005 to 2023, when he was appointed Borough Fire Chief, succeeding Russ Schumack in the role.

He was also integral in leading the merger of the ambulance services in Shenandoah, Lost Creek, and Ringtown. He is president and a founding member of the Shenandoah Community Ambulance Board of Directors.

For the past decade, he’s also volunteered on the baseball diamond, from tee-ball to, now, teeners.

I encourage you to find a way to be part of your community and volunteer,” Examitas said. “The gift of your time often means more than you know and you will find it extremely rewarding.”

“Remember your roots it is where you obtained your strength,” Examitas suggested. “Be a good public servant. Do things in your career to achieve greatness. Coach youth sports, be a mentor, be a good role model to future generations.”

“Sometimes, like me, it is not the traditional path but I am proof that success comes in all
shapes and sizes,” Examitas added.

Anne Chaikowsky LaVoie Skirmantas, a member of the SV Class of 1975, embarked on a career in the arts in New York City and later Los Angeles.

She’s worked as an assistant to a film producer and working as a model and stage actress.

She had also been a stage manager, house manager, assistant director for theatre productions, and a production manager “for events which featured benefactors who were Hollywood VIPs.”

Chaikowsky has returned to Shenandoah numerous times, including to assist the Shenandoah Sesquicentennial Celebration and as liaison for Shenandoah native Hollywood screenwriter Darryl Ponicsan.

Now, she is working to establish the Lithuanian Heritage Museum in town, planning to show how many Lithuanian “firsts” in the United States happened here in Schuylkill County.

“She may have lived in Los Angeles, but her heart remains in Shenandoah,” her bio reads.

“Some advice from Los Angeles. Be the star in your own life,” she told the graduates. “Don’t let someone else be the lead in your story. Have courage. Don’t let someone dim that light inside of you. Don’t live someone else’s life.”

The Wall of Fame tradition began in 1999 with the elimination of the guest speaker, Andy Ulicny, chair of the Wall of Fame committee, said.

“Instead, we choose to hear from our own, to hear from the very best of Shenandoah graduates,” Ulicny said.

Three inductees a year have been added ever since.

Wall of Fame inductees are aptly recognized via a plaque on the wall in the high school lobby, near the hallway leading to the gym.

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