The Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) held their 19th annual commencement ceremonies for the 2014 graduating class on Saturday, May 24, at the Boothby Auditorium, in Limestone.
The ceremony began with Executive Director Luke Shorty welcoming the large crowd of friends and family members, who packed into the auditorium to support this year’s graduating class. Shorty also introduced the class’ student speaker, William A. Popov, who delivered the student address.
Next to the podium was Dr. Jerome Pieh, who is the MSSM board chairman and was also in attendance to introduce the keynote speaker for the 2014 MSSM commencement ceremony. Dr. Pieh introduced Dr. Dana N. Humphrey, who is a professor and dean of the college of engineering at the University of Maine at Orono.
The next item on the program was the ever-important presentation of the diplomas to this year’s graduating class. Dr. Pieh and Shorty, along with Dean of Students Matthew Grillo and English instructor Michael McCartney worked together to pass out the diplomas to their respective recipients. Dr. Pieh, Grillo and McCartney all shook hands with the graduates and awarded them their diplomas, before the graduating students made their way across the stage to Shorty. As each student passed they gave Shorty either a spirited “high-five” or an emotional hug, as all the students had clearly built up a special relationship with their school’s executive director.
After all the diplomas had been handed out and the feeling was allowed to sink in for a moment, McCartney made his way to the podium to introduce MSSM’s graduating class of 2014, which was followed by a motivational farewell message from Shorty, who was clearly sad to see such a great class depart, but he was also very inspired and hopeful as to where they would all progress from here.
The graduating class then marched out of the auditorium to the song “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, as class marshals Laura Blackstone and Maxwell Holtzman led the group to the ceremony’s recessional, where the school’s kitchen staff served drinks and prepared a large cake for all the graduates and the ceremony’s attendees to enjoy.
MSSM’s 2014 graduating class includes the following students: Andrew Kingsley Arter, David Chen, Meghan C. Flanigan, Abigail P. Harvey, Graham V. Howard, Kelsie E. Kalka, Nathaniel Elias Kidson, Taeok Hun Kim, Mica Lewis, Ross B. McCabe, Kevin McDonough, Kathryn Peterson, William Alex Popov, Noah D. Ransom, Andrew L. Schade, Chandler M. Symonds, Roger Wolcott Van Peski, Patricia Walsh and Brandon M. Wood.
