Indian Lake High School is preparing for the 2023 Commencement Ceremony, slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at Laker Stadium.
There is no limit on the number of family members who may attend commencement. Currently, the forecast looks favorable for an outdoor ceremony. However, in case of inclement weather, graduation will move into the ILHS Main Gym.
Laker Stadium will open at 1 p.m. for the ceremony. Graduates must be dressed and in their seats in the auxiliary gym at 1:45 p.m.
The baccalaureate service proceeds commencement at 1 p.m. in the ILHS auditorium.
“We very much look forward to welcoming our Class of 2023 family and friends and celebrating the many accomplishments of our Indian Lake Seniors,” school officials said.
The commencement speaker is 1993 ILHS graduate Troy Ross. He attended Bowling Green University and soon transferred to Hocking College, where he graduated with an associate’s degree in fish and wildlife ranger services in 1998.
Later, in 2013, he received a bachelor of science in organizational leadership from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. During 2020, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a Project Management Specialization from Ashland University.
Following his education, Ross moved to Tennessee and began working for ACRT, an independent national vegetation management consulting firm, as a utility forester.
He has worked many different positions within the company over the last 24 years, including lead forester, operations manager, senior operations manager, director of operations, president of ACRT, ACRT Services executive president of operations, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of ACRT and director of the Utility Arborist Association.
He has presented at several trade shows and has published several articles in trade manuals, journals and magazines.
Ross has received credentials through the International Society of Arborists (ISA) to become a Certified Arborist Utility Specialist where he has traveled to 46 different states consulting with utilities to help them deliver safe and reliable power at low costs.
He has helped with many restoration events after Hurricane Katrina, as well as wildfires out west and many other natural disasters.
In 2017, he moved back to Ohio to work out of the corporate office in Akron. He is currently the chief operation officer at ACRT and oversees operations of five different companies that make up the ACRT Services family and its 1,600 employees.
Ross met his wife, Tabitha Crain Ross, in Tennessee in 1999 and they were married in 2001. They have two daughters, Allison who is 19, a freshman at The Ohio State University and Selena who is 15, a freshman at Clear Fork High School.
In his free time, Ross loves the outdoors. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, boater and he loves to hike. He spends a lot of his time with family, attending their events and going to concerts and sporting events.
Commencement ceremonies also will be videotaped and posted for viewing the next day.