STACYVILLE, Maine — With a camera crew following graduates around as they readied themselves for the next chapter in their lives, 22 members of the Class of 2017 for Katahdin Area High School strode confidently into the school’s gymnasium Saturday to receive their diplomas.
Cameras captured every move, every tear and every grin as part of a documentary being produced on the creation of the Katahdin National Monument. With the class motto of “We didn’t realize we were making memories; we just knew we were having fun,” hanging above the stage, students were full of smiles and nervous anticipation.
All smiles as they march into Kathadin High School’s gymnasium Saturday morning are class marshals Bailee Moody-Kay, left, and Devin McGraw.
(Joseph Cyr)
“It is with great pleasure and admiration that I stand here before this group of young adults,” said Principal Marie Robinson, who is in her first year at Katahdin, in welcoming those in attendance. “Although I have only known them for a short time, their positive influence has had an impact on me. Whether it was through senior portfolio presentations, seeing them in class or on our Mount Chase hike, this is a class that I will never forget.”
Robinson stated there were three key points she hoped the graduates would remember from their time at Katahdin. The first was to remember that kindness goes a long way. Secondly, she encouraged the class to always stand up for what they believe in. And thirdly, she reminded them that hard work can help one achieve their goals.
“Along your journey, remain positive and don’t be afraid of failure,” she said.
Salutatorian Erin Buhler fought through her nervousness to deliver a passionate speech to her classmates.
“I am not the most inspiring or profound speaker,” Buhler said. “But by doing this speech, I marked a new beginning for myself and my classmates. Today is a stepping stone for our future and a window to our past.”
Georgia Landry, a graduating senior at Katahdin Area High School, gives a hug to a member of the audience during Saturday’s commencement exercise.
(Joseph Cyr)
She added that graduation was not the end of the line, but instead was a fork in the road for many as they begin the next phase of their lives beyond Katahdin High School.
“I have faith that each and every one of us can go forth to pursue whatever it is we desire and to succeed with flying colors,” Buhler said. “When you march out of this gym, look around you at the people who have supported you and to your sides to the people that started this journey with you.”
Valedictorian Emily Knowles offered words of encouragement to her fellow classmates and urged them to continue the learning process throughout their lives and to follow one simple guideline in life.
“Be nice to people,” she said. “Being kind and having a good attitude will make your lives so much better for you and everyone around you. Your actions do not just affect you, they affect everyone around you.”
Lindsay Downing, a 2005 graduate of Katahdin High School, served as the keynote speaker for Saturday’s ceremony and spoke on the journey that first lead her away from the region, and what drew her back home later in her life.
“I can’t help feeling a little bit of nostalgia as it was just 12 short years ago that I sat in your chairs anxiously awaiting to accept my diploma,” she said. “And like many of you here today, I was counting down the days until I could get out. I never would have imagined that sometime down the road, I would do whatever it takes to get back to this special place that we all call home.”
Downing said she drove by Mount Katahdin every day on a bus heading to school and never really thought much about it. It was not until after graduation that she first attempted to conquer the mountain. And when she did, it changed her life.
“On Aug. 17, 2005, I stood on the top of that mountain for the first time, and I had such a feeling of accomplishment that I never before felt,” she said. “Years of sports and extracurricular activities never gave me a feeling like that.”
Completing that hike gave Downing a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that she could tackle any of life’s difficult moments if she only had the courage to try new things. She then went on to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2011 and is now the co-owner of the Mount Chase Lodge with her husband, Mike.
She urged the class to find their own mountain, either literally or figuratively, so that they too can experience success in their lives.
