Staff Writer
CARIBOU — With 159 graduates in all, the Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education Center (EAACEC) ceremoniously graduated 14 students on May 13 during their annual recognition and graduation ceremony: 20 of the 159 received their high school diplomas while the other 139 received their GED.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Graduates of the 2010 Class of the Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education Center Michael Wells and Jessica Violette signify their graduation by moving their tassels from the right to the left.
Flora Smith was the class speaker at the graduation, who spoke briefly about how proud she was to be a graduate and how much she’s overcome in order to get where she is now.
“I am thankful for the Learning Center because it is a place for us to learn every day,” she said. Smith plans on furthering her studies in college.
Rep. Peter Edgecomb of Caribou was the guest speaker for the graduation. His speech consisted of 30 notable quotables to help guide the students in their future endeavors; he even gave away a prize to the graduate who correctly guessed the name of the man (Henry Ford) who said “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses.’”
Though they were not part of the graduation procession, seven graduates — William Beacroft IV, Stephen Bell, Donna Bixler, Karl Curtis, Ryan Jones, Giovanni Mitchell and Sebastian Viola — received GED 3000 awards from the center for their exceptional scoring on their GED testing.
Alycia Deslisle was given the Director’s Award by center director Dan MacDonald for her perseverance and positive attitude.
The fourteen graduates of the EAACEC class of 2010 who marched during the graduation included Preston Brown, Justin Clayton, Chelsea Cyr, Alycia Deslisle, Barbara Dufour, Joshua Flagg, Alan Gilman, James Kelly, Ashley McGraw, Brad Perry, Tammy Raymond, Flora Smith, Jessica Violette and Michael Wells.
The fourteen graduates of the Eastern Aroostook Adult and Community Education Center who walked in the graduation ceremony on May 13 included, from left, Flora Smith, Ashley McGraw, Preston Brown, Tammy Raymond, James Kelly, Alan Gilman, Joshua Flagg, Brad Perry, Justin Clayton, Micheal Wells, Jessica Violette, Barbara Dufour, Alicia Deslisle and Chelsea Cyr.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie BazinetStudent speaker of the May 13 Adult Ed. graduation ceremony was Flora Smith, left. RSU 39 Superintendent Frank McElwain, RSU 39 School Board Chair Scott Willey and graduation guest speaker and accomplished educator Rep. Peter Edgecomb of Caribou listened to Smith’s speech.
