Hodgdon grads move to unchartered waters

Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
ADJUSTMENT — Shasta Prosser, left, adjusts the cap of Andrew McGillicuddy prior to the start of Hodgdon High School’s graduation ceremony Friday evening. A total of 51 graduates received their diploma at HHS.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HODGDON — It’s not often that the same piano that plinks out the chords to “Pomp and Circumstance” also rocks out to Styx’ “Come Sail Away,” but that’s precisely what happened Friday evening at Hodgdon High School’s commencement exercises.
    Fifty-one students bid a fond farewell to their high school classmates in an emotional and sometimes humorous graduation ceremony.
    Principal Clark Rafford welcomed a packed gymnasium of family and friends to Hodgdon High School. He announced the National Merit Scholarship program honored two students — valedictorian Wesley Heinrichs and salutatorian Ashley Ballanger. Ballanger was a semifinalist, while Heinrichs was a finalist and received a $2,500 scholarship to Boston University.
    “I think it’s important enough to share with the entire community,” Rafford said. “There are 1.5 million students in the United States that apply for National Merit Scholarships. Only 5 percent of those students are selected as semifinalists and 1 percent are finalists. Of that 1 percent, not everyone gets a scholarship.”
    Rafford also announced the All-Around Schoolboy and Schoolgirl awards were Brandon Dow and Chelsea Sloat. Chosen by the staff at Hodgdon High School, the award is based on the culmination of their years at Hodgdon High School.
    Ballanger, in her speech, said she could offer little advice to her fellow classmates that they had not already heard many times over.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
REFLECTIONS — Alyssa Hutchinson checks the mirror as she adjusts her cap before the start of Hodgdon High School’s graduation ceremony Friday evening.
    “Even if I can’t tell you anything new, there is one thing that I’d like to mention, something that is important for all of us to remember,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to take chances and try new things. Whether you’re thinking about applying for the study abroad program or trying out that new roller coaster … go for it.”
    Quoting Mark Twain, Ballanger added, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
    Andrew Lane, third honor essayist, injected a fair dose of humor in his farewell speech.
    “I’d like to dissect my generation as a whole,” Lane said. “We are a class derived of cliques and groups. There are those more inclined towards the outdoors, those more bent at sports, the geeks and so forth. However, I believe there is something different with our generation. Having grown up with so much exploding technology, we’ve developed so much more differently than our brothers, sisters and parents before us.”
    Lane added that his graduating class had its fair share of differences over the years.
    “It’s been an interesting 12 years and despite our disagreements, I’d say we’ve turned out, well … we sure are something,” he said. “I think it would be fair to say that since middle school, some walls were thrown up between groups and we separated as a class. Since then, it’s been an upward battle towards unity and there was a point when I thought to myself, ‘who needs all these goons anyway?’ How wrong I was. Yes we clearly don’t agree on everything, but this class really is a family.”
    Mike Morey, second honor essayist, said his classmates have been his source of inspiration.
    “Our time together is coming to a close and the one thing I regret is not being able to get close to every single one of these great people behind me,” Morey said. “High school has been a blast and I am sorry it’s over, but the years we’ve shared together have given me the motivation, the creativity, and the friendship that I’ll need to make it through college.”
    Emmaly Jurson, first honor essayist, used the analogy of building a house with her life, citing her family as the key roles in helping her build that house.
    “Given I’m graduating and completing a milestone in my life, I have a two-story building with walls, windows, doors and a roof,” she said. “A smile comes across my face as I look upon my life’s house from the outside.”
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/
Joseph Cyr
CLASS MARSHALL — Wesley Heinrichs, valedictorian and class marshall for Hodgdon High School, leads his classmates into the gymnasium.
    Jurson said her foundation was her relationship with God, while the walls of her house represented her job, academics, sports, and friendships.
    In his speech, Heinrichs, who also served as the class marshall, used the theme of justice as he addressed his peers and the audience.
    “To be just, we ought to be fair in our actions, honest, avoid arguments that would result in resentment, be respectful — especially when we disagree — and be able to share the spotlight,” Heinrichs said. “We must keep our promises, our commitments and our appointments. To be just to ourselves, we must ask for help when we need it and we must give ourselves a burden that corresponds to our ability to carry it.”
    Superintendent Robert McDaniel, in his address to the graduates, reminded the Class of 2010 to not take for granted the life they are living.
    “The freedoms that we have in this country allow you students to choose the path that you want to go in life,” he said. “In many countries, those paths are chosen for students. I hope you don’t take that for granted. I encourage you to go out into the world and see just how truly lucky you are to celebrate such an achievement as graduation.”
    He had just one word of advice for the students — respect.
    “You need to realize that everyone is unique,” he said. “You need to respect yourself and others. You need to celebrate diversity. The fact that people are different presents challenges, but if you work together, you achieve far more than anything you can do by yourself. Always remember that while you are an important part, you are a small part of the world. Work together to make this world a better place.”