DANFORTH, Maine – Last Thursday night, 15 students graduated from East Grand School in Danforth. Each graduate wore a red cord to represent the blood drive that the seniors helped organize and work. The red ribbon on their caps is for Natasha Miller and her friend, Sam, of Central High School.
Miller was told she could not march if she decorated her cap in honor of her friend who died from cancer. She held true to her friend and decorated her cap. Miller was escorted out of the Central High School gymnasium and not allowed to march. East Grand students wanted to honor Miller and her devotion to her friend.
Chelsea Winiarski, valedictorian, addressed her classmates, “In a few months, everything is going to be different … We all have our own roads to travel, but I think we are ready for the world.”
Winiarski said the graduating class was unique.
“We want to help people. We want to live without regrets. We want a comfortable life. But most of all, we want to succeed and be happy,” she said.
In conclusion, she said, “All that we have achieved is small compared to what we can do. We pushed through because we were persistent. We are scholars. We are leaders. We have built a strong foundation over the years because of our teachers, parents and community being behind us through it all. They are the reason we are great. You all are the reason we are ready for the world.”
And to her classmates, Winiarski said, “It was fun to travel this road with you. I hope your next journey takes you wide and far. Not all roads lead to the same place, but I hope that our paths can cross again someday.”
“Growing up, everyone always told us that ‘high school will be the best four years of our lives.’ They were half true. But what they didn’t tell us was that they were going to be equally terrifying. We have come a long way and we still have a long way to go,” said Salutatorian Allie McEwen.
McEwen spoke of the changes each graduate went through from freshman year to senior.
“As freshmen, we didn’t have a clue that the next four years would change us in more ways than one,” she said. “We didn’t know who we ere or what we were doing. As sophomores, we discovered a new-found confidence. Junior year was the year we finally understood what it was like to be an upperclassman. And, senior year was a year of lasts. But, also a year of beginnings.”
She said that the students’ time at East Grand School taught them more than just how to use the “Pythagorean theorem and how to identify the hidden meaning behind every Shakespeare play known to man.
“It has taught us how to become leaders, teammates, most importantly, individuals,” McEwen said. “As we embark on this new adventure, it is normal to feel nervous and scared. But this should also be a time to be excited, a time to celebrate the beginning of our newest journey of our lives, as we have accomplished a huge milestone today and should be very proud.”
