Fredonia pride

It is a proud day to be a Fredonia High School alumna. Congratulations to our fellow FHS graduate, Jenn Suhr, on her gold medal win. Former classmates, friends, family and neighbors excitedly watched the Olympic pole vaulting competition yesterday, huddled in front of computers in homes and offices as it streamed live, or staying up late to catch it on primetime television. It was truly thrilling to see someone from our town reach her goal and get the gold -- someone who rollerbladed and rode her bike down these same streets not all that long ago.

Jenn was a few years ahead of me in high school. I did not meet her until my days as an OBSERVER reporter covering the ceremony held in her honor in September 2009, where a stone monument and flagpole were dedicated to her success, and the scholarship in her name was first announced. I watched some of the proceedings with our gym teacher, Ann Laduca, who fondly remembered Jenn's days as a student at Fredonia High School. Jenn was gracious, poised and very humbled by the outpouring of support from her hometown. She expressed how meaningful it was to have this kind of encouragement and how surreal the events following the Olympics had felt.

On her Facebook page, where Jenn has been posting regularly throughout her Olympic experience, it is great to see all of the congratulatory posts from fellow FHS graduates and fans from across the country and beyond. Her achievement is an inspiration to us all.