Just a day before they were to celebrate a major milestone, a Bath Township family's home went up in flames.
But that's not keeping high school senior Anne Rea from her moment in the spotlight as she graduates from St. Vincent-St. Mary's. Anne still graced the stage on Tuesday to deliver her valedictorian speech.
She did not mention the tragedy, but she did thank her family and friends for their support throughout the last four years.
Anne, a runner, also gave an encouraging message to her class as they move on to their next race.
"While we need to celebrate our victory and the success of this race, our work is not done when we cross this stage," said Rea. This race is only one chapter in our story. It is up to us to get back on the line again and write the rest of the book."
Thankfully, everyone made it out of Monday's fire safely.
"When our first crews arrived on the scene, they found pretty heavy fire involvement going up the back of the house up into the attic," said Bath Township Fire Chief Rob Campbell.
Firefighters believe flames on a patio grill spread to the deck above it before catching the house on fire, prompting the department to send a warning regarding grill safety as summer approaches.
"I certainly would encourage anyone using a grill to keep it away from the structure, keep it out from underneath any overhead combustible lke a deck or covered porch or anything like that," the chief said.
The fire department estimates that the blaze caused more than $1 million in damage.
"You know, this should be an extraordinary happy time for them, and now the family is having to deal with this as well. I hate to see that happen to anybody," Campbell said.
But as firefighters returned to douse hot spots at the home on Tuesday, word started to spread that Anne would not only attend commencement Tuesday night, but she would stick with the plan and give her valedictorian speech.
"That's an incredible courage to be able to sojourn on and do that," Campbell said.
Mark Butterworth, president of Anne's school, said efforts are underway to help the family. Right now, the school is collecting an assortment of gift cards for the family to help them in their time of need.
"Anne is one of our most well-rounded students. She runs cross country and track. She's an integral member of our NASA team that just recently competed down in Huntsville, Alabama, and she's our valedictorian," Butterworth said.
Butterworth never imagined a fire could change the feel of graduation but is grateful the Rae family will be there and the community can be there for them.
"We relish in the fact that everyone is family here, and due to these unfortunate circumstances, it's an easy rallying cry for the greater St. Vincent-St. Mary community," he said.
