HOULTON, Maine – The Houlton High School Class of 2024 made their way through throngs of cheering loved ones during the traditional pomp and circumstance march to the stage at the John A. Millar Civic Center on Thursday night.
Led by graduation marshal and third honor essayist Kadan Carpenter, the 84 seniors took one last journey together before stepping into a new life phase.
Senior class president Macy Cram opened the evening’s ceremony, detailing a journey that began four years ago during COVID-19 and ended in a return to a more normal lifestyle.
“Due to this unique high school experience we have a greater understanding that the world can change in an instant,” said senior class president Macy Cram. “But we are also better prepared for it.”
Salutatorian Emilia Wilkins honestly shared that graduation is no small feat and that together they are celebrating their triumphs that often came with obstacles like keeping up with classes dealing with life’s emotional roller coasters, work and other challenges.
“Our perseverance had not gone unnoticed. I ask you to think about all the times you struggled, maybe so much so that you were tempted to stop trying, “ she said. “We did not give up. We let nothing hold us back. We have reason to be proud.”
Keynote speaker Houlton High School English teacher Nanette Mills has taught in Aroostook County schools for over 20 years and joined the RSU 29 staff in 2015. Mills shared that standing before everyone was a full circle moment because 34 years ago she was on the stage as a Houlton High School graduate.
Turn your heads left and right, Mills said, urging each graduate to see the familiar faces one more time because their lives were changing at that moment.
“High school ends tonight. It’s finally here. Look into the audience and find a face, who pushed you and helped you on your hardest day. A sibling? A parent? A teacher? Or a friend? Maybe you wouldn’t be here without the support they lent,” she said.
Mills told a story about a 1994 Golden Globe film, With Honors, starring Joe Pesci who plays a homeless man and his relationship with a Harvard college student. The student, who wants to complete his studies with honors, loses his 88-page thesis down a storm drain and Pesci finds it, deciding to burn it page by page to keep warm.
As the story continued Mills told the graduates about the homeless man’s bag of stones that each tell a story tied to his life.
“I brought you a gift to remember this night, a small token as you take flight. It’s a rock of remembrance, a milestone to keep. Like the movie With Honors, a stepping stone as you meet,” Mills said. “On the back of your chairs I’ve left you a gift. A stone to remember this night forthwith. May the rock you hold tell of this graduation day a milestone moment. I love you guys.”
