Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph CyrCELEBRATION — Rejoicing at the end of their graduation ceremony at Hodgdon High School Friday evening are, from left, Britta Oliver, Kayla Harris, Erik Ryan and Kimberly Levesque.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HODGDON — It was a time for tears and smiles Friday evening as Hodgdon High School bid farewell to graduating seniors in an emotional ceremony. Led into the gymnasium by Class Marshal and valedictorian Kimberly Levesque, the group of 32 seniors represented one of the smallest classes in recent years.
Principal Mary Harbison began the evening with the announcement of All-Around Schoolboy and Schoolgirl awards. The award is based on the culmination of their years at the school.
“These students were selected by a consensus of the teachers based on a combination of academic excellence and participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities,” Harbison said. “They are the students who present themselves in such a way as to make us feel ‘Wow, I would be proud to call this person my daughter or son.’”
Receiving the award for a schoolgirl was Levesque, while Riley Hutchinson received the schoolboy award.
Salutatorian Erik Ryan gave a light-hearted speech to his classmates.
“At first thought I was excited to be able to write a speech for graduation,” he said. “Then, after two weeks of endless deliberation, I changed my mind. It takes me a week to find something meaningful to write as a Facebook status, let alone something graduation-speech worthy.”
He recalled the times when he and his peers in physics class tried to convince their teacher, Mr. Sjoberg, to let them hold class on the roof of the building.
“I mean, seriously, we could have tested the true acceleration vector of gravity,” he joked. “How fun would that have been?”
Kayla Harris and Britta Oliver, co-first honor essayists, also spoke to the crowd.
In her speech, Harris became emotional as she recalled the times spent at HHS.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph CyrGAME BALL — Hodgdon baseball coach Rob Smith, left, presents a signed baseball to Erik Ryan, a member of the Hawk baseball squad, Friday evening before graduation.
“Throughout this whole graduation process, I have been extremely emotional,” Harris said. “Every time I thought about closing that door, I would be overcome with sadness and nostalgia. I would think about all those memories, people and experiences of my past that had shaped who I am now and I would feel pain leaving it all behind.”
Harris said she wanted to focus on the positive side of the evening’s ceremony and what the future had to offer.
“When we leave this school tonight, we will be adults,” she said. “That opening door will lead us into the real world as they call it. A world that is full to the brim with every possible opportunity for us to succeed.”
Oliver encouraged her classmates to take risks and try new things as the new phase of their lives begins.
“Remember that growing up is a process of trial, error and experimentation, and that any bad experiences you encounter are as much a part of growing up as your successes,” she said. “Life won’t always be easy, but you will always have the power to change it for the better.”
Levesque thanked her teachers and family for helping her become the person she is today. She also urged her classmates to not only revel in the moment, but to make the most of their future.
“Everyone tells us this is the best time of our lives, but it’s only what we make it to be,” she said. “This is my advice for your future. Never stray away from who you are. Live life to its fullest and live each day as if it will be your last. No matter what path you take and wherever you end up, make the journey worthwhile and I wish you all the best.”
Superintendent Bob McDaniel gave a humorous speech and offered the following words of wisdom to the graduating seniors.
“Don’t be afraid to fail,” he said. “We all fail at some time. Move forward, keep trying and don’t ever lose your sense of humor.”
As has been a tradition at the school in recent years, the graduates celebrated the end of their ceremony with spraying confetti into the air before marching out of the gymnasium.