DYER BROOK, Maine — Smiles were plentiful Friday evening as a group of 25 seniors marched into the Southern Aroostook Community School gymnasium one final time to receive their diplomas.
SACS Principal Jonathan Porter welcomed a packed house to the commencement exercise. Porter also served as the featured speaker on the evening and told the audience a humorous, yet poignant tale of his time spent hiking in the north Maine woods and how only through teamwork and trusting one another was he able to guide a group of people to their destination point.
Valedictorian Jackson Mathers thanked his parents for all they have done for him, even when things were not always so bright. His father, Bill, battled chronic myeloid leukemia in 2015, and Jackson himself has dealt with ulcerative colitis during his high school years.
Justin McNally adjusts his mortar board cap as he gets ready for Southern Aroostook Community School’s commencement Friday evening in Dyer Brook.
(Joseph Cyr)
“Dad, thank you for being brave and making Kassidy [Mathers’ younger sister] and I feel like everything was fine, even when you were so sick,” he said. “You have shown me how to be strong even through life’s terrifying times.”
Mathers added that the Class of 2017 was well prepared for the road ahead and had some encouraging words for all the parents in attendance.
“Don’t worry about us,” he said. “Don’t be sad. Try to let us go, because we are ready. You’ve done your job. We know the next step for us, whether it is college, jobs or the military will not be easy, but you have given us the support, love and encouragement we needed to attain our goals. So take a breath, relax and enjoy the moment. You’ve raised some awesome kids.”
Salutatorian Katie Stevens echoed those sentiments in her address.
“This year’s class is full of hard working and dedicated people,” Stevens said. “Success is clearly evident for our futures. With the amount of intelligence and talent that this class possess, there is no way that this class won’t be successful. Whether we all remain in Aroostook County, move downstate or even decide to leave Maine, we will all benefit from the community around us.”
Makayla Crandall, second honor essayist, said her class has some high aspirations for the coming years.
Southern Aroostook Community School senior Luis Morales, left, gives classmate Jackson Mathers some help with his sash and medals prior to the start of the school’s graduation ceremony Friday evening. In the background is Nolan Altvater.
(Joseph Cyr)
“From this class up here today, we will have doctors that will help cure cancer; engineers that will invent flying vehicles; and businessmen and women that will become the future of the American economy,” she stated. “To many, these ideas would seem a little unrealistic or impossible, but with the intelligence and determination of this graduating class, even the most impossible actions can become possible.”
Lacey Lindsay, first honors essayist, took her peers on a trip down memory lane, recalling times when the most important thing at school was who got to the tire swing first, or which kickball team they would be picked to play for.
“Somewhere along the way, things changed and people changed,” she said. “We found out what really mattered in life, because when we were young we didn’t know what a real friend was. We didn’t know how much they would impact our lives and how those friendships would last us a lifetime.”
