HODGDON, Maine — A group of 35 seniors at Hodgdon High School marched through the high school gymnasium one final time Friday, June 10, 2016 as the school held its 87th graduation ceremony.
The Class of 2016 is the final group to receive diplomas from Hodgdon High School. Starting with the 2016-17 year, the school is changing its name to Hodgdon Middle-High School, as the seventh and eighth grade classes will be moved from Mill Pond School. The first graduating class from Hodgdon High School was in 1929.
“The senior class exemplifies the good aspects of our school and the community, both then [in 1929] and today,” said Superintendent Scott Richardson during his address. “The Hodgdon High student body won the Houlton Rotary’s ‘Service Above Self’ award for their outstanding community service.”
Richardson singled out several students for their accomplishments, but it was the senior Branden Pitts who drew the largest ovation. Pitts has served as the school’s mascot for the past three years. Richardson described Pitts as “the best Hawk, that there has ever been.”
High School Principal Mary Harbison announced the All-Around Female and Male student awards — Meg McGuire and Pitts.
“These awards go to the seniors who staff members feel are the students they would most like to have as their own children,” she said. “These students are kind, thoughtful, and courteous. They offer to help with anything that needs to be done. A job given to them will be a job well done and will be done on time.”
In her address, Harbison cited the song “Humble and Kind,” by Tim McGraw.” Truer words have never been spoken, nor has better advice ever been given,” she said. “If you live by these words, ‘Always stay humble and kind,’ you will be able to consider yourself successful in all you do. I wish you the best of luck, members of the Class of 2016.”
Valedictorian Madison York, who also served as the class marshal, chose to focus her address not on the past adventures of her class, but instead looked to the future.
“Tonight means different things to each of us,” she said. “To some, it brings on a feeling of relief, and to others, it is accompanied with a feeling of nostalgia as we look back on all of the memories and friendships we have made these past years. I could continue to reminisce about the last four years however, I believe it is far more important to focus on where we will be in the future.”
So how will the Class of 2016 know they are on the right path? “This question is essentially flawed in nature, because as humans, we are in a state of perpetual evolution,” York said. “We construct our lives by traditional norms, conforming our path to the idea of ‘success.’ Rather, we should use happiness as our guide. We seek to cultivate happiness through materialistic achievements. Happiness is not dependent on amassing a certain amount of fame or wealth. It’s not dependent on buying a new car or cashing a paycheck. Happiness is a state of being. It’s not perceptible by touch. It lies within your mindset, the way you perceive the world.”
She finished by wishing her peers good fortune in the coming years. “Do what makes you happy, don’t base it on what others around you want,” she said. “Don’t base your happiness on material things. Today marks the end of one path in our lives, but also the beginning of one with infinite potential, and endless opportunities.”
Salutatorian Blake Woods cited the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson in his speech with the line “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
“Today is the day,” Woods said. “The day we’ve been looking forward to our whole lives. But I want you all to remember, that high school is such a small chapter of our lives in the grand scheme of things. This is only the beginning. There have been countless hours of hard work and determination leading us to this point. We are now entering our next chapter of our lives, adulthood.
“After today we will be all heading in different directions through life, some may be going straight into the workforce, and others preparing for college. Whatever path you’re headed on after today, I want you to remember the lessons that we have been taught here at Hodgdon High School,” he said.
