PHOTOS: Pine View grads step into the future with a view

OSPREY — The rows of the Van Wezel quickly filled with family members and friends Sunday afternoon as some of Sarasota County's best and brightest celebrated the end of an era.

Pine View School for the Gifted honored 156 students during its annual graduation ceremony, holding a four-hour celebration to highlight each student's academic success and community impact.

With a smaller than average class in the county, students and staff chose to share the close connections they created, both academically and in friendships, with those in attendance.

A senior class video, multiple musical performances by the school orchestra and band and personalized biographies of each graduate were presented to honor Pine View seniors.

Nishalle Uthuppan said Pine View’s family-minded culture will be one of the biggest things she takes with her as she steps off the stage.

“To just be able to grow up with all these people and just be surrounded with all of them, and see how much they've grown and seeing how much you know where we're going in life is really exciting,” Uthuppan said.

Students were quick to note the love and gratitude extended to teachers, even to those who taught the most challenging of subjects.

Mark Mattia, a Pine View statistics teacher, was surrounded by students as he made his way around the room greeting seniors.

Niklas Pinto said Mattia was a pillar among students for his tenacious talks and welcoming demeanor during even the most boring topics in math.

“He made me believe I could survive school at 7 a.m. during my junior year,” Pinto said. “He was so good about treating us all as people. We were more than just a body in the classroom.”

Mattia shared his sadness to see his seniors go, asking the soon-to-be graduates to visit when they can and have fun while it lasts.

“I hope you come back and visit,” he said. “College is one step but then life takes over so have as much fun as you can at times.”

Two students have already taken to the beloved math teacher's advice.

Naomi Dale and Jacobus Hazelhoff shared the history of their friendship that started after meeting in fourth grade at Pine View. From then on, the two took having fun as seriously as their academics.

However, it seemed their friendship would blossom into rivalry after graduation after news of Dale moving to Florida State University and Hazelhoff heading to the University of Florida in the fall came to light.

But the pair said they have sworn an oath of neutrality and will focus on their studies.

The reason? Love.

The two started dating in eighth grade, creating a line of memories Dale and Hazelhoff said they aren't willing to give up for the 'Noles or the Gators.

“I think all of the friends and the memories I made here. I don't think I would have made those anywhere else," Dale said.

After Principal Stephen Covert finished presenting the graduates, the Class of 2024 finally turned their attention to class president Shannon Hickey.

Hickey reminded her fellow classmates of how Pine View offered them the joy of discovery, perspective and passion, urging them to seek out those things in their future.

She spoke of the "precipice of adulthood" seniors stood at as they moved their tassels from right to left, transcending their childhood passions into future career paths.

"I like to think of Pine View as a giant pine tree, and we're all little pine cones, going our own ways into the world," Hickey said. "We will always hold the memories of the tree, but we will be so much more once we build our own roots."

Casey Aten, who will attend the U.S. Naval Academy after being appointed in February, said he’s looking forward to putting down his own roots this summer before basic training.

"Leaving this place hasn't hit me yet, but I'm excited to start a new chapter in a few weeks," Aten said.

For those still uncertain about what the future may hold, Aten gave a reality check for his fellow graduates:

“You got to do it at some point, so it might as well be now.”