By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Caribou Middle School honored 89 members of the future Class of 2017 on Monday evening in the school’s cafeteria with its annual Eighth-Grade Recognition Night.
Contributed Photo/jMavor Photography
Members of Caribou’s Class of 2017 posed for this photo in the gymnasium at Caribou Middle School before the recognition ceremony to honor the students’ accomplishments during their eighth grade school year.
After the processional into the cafeteria, students Samantha Fortin and Connor Plourde welcomed friends and family to the ceremony.
Academic awards were then presented to students by their teachers. Jessica Dow honored Fortin, Julia Page, Emma Belyea and Kerrigan Manter with the Young Author Award. Troy Barnes gave Conner Spencer, Rachel Soucy, Josiah Krul and Erin Kashian the Math League Award. CMS Principal Leland Caron handed out the Windstorm Challenge Award to Krul, Spencer and Fortin for their participation in the University of Maine at Orono competition where they and other students from all over the state competed to build a stable and efficient component of a wind turbine.
After a presentation of certificates to the many students who were on the honor roll for the first and second trimesters of the year, the Grade 8 Show Choir, directed by Vicki King, performed “I am a Small Part of the World.”
Caron returned to recognize the students who had been chosen as Student of the Month over the past school year. He also presented the Personal Growth Award to student R.J. Doucette,.
“Despite obstacles, R.J. became a great school citizen,” Caron said, describing Doucette as kind, honest to a fault, with a dry sense of humor.
Caron’s Principal’s Award was given to Katelyn Clark, who the administrator described as conscientious, diligent, kind, considerate, honest and responsible.
Spencer was presented with the Secretary of State’s Eighth-Grade Citizen Award by Caron and guidance counselor Melissa Thompson. Caron and Thompson described Spencer as being a diligent student with high academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities such as strings, Gifted & Talented, tennis, basketball, Girl Scouts and Clothes for Food.
“She is a consistent example of what true citizenship means,” Thompson said of Spencer. “She will continue to achieve great things.”
Caron, who just became principal of CMS this past school year, thanked the eighth-graders for breaking him in, saying he will remember this class always for the great people who are part of it. Caron encouraged the students to always believe in themselves.
“You have the educational foundation to build upon,” he said. “What you have to know is that you have what it takes to be successful. Now is not the time to sit back and relax. Work hard and find the courage to endure.”
Caron concluded his speech by encouraging the students’ family and friends to continue working to develop the youth’s talents.
Each student then received a recognition certificate and congratulations from Caron and the eighth-grade teaching staff.
Classmates Page, Krul and Manter closed the ceremony by thanking teachers, family and classmates for their support so far in their academic journey.
