HOULTON, Maine — It was a time for cheers and a few tears for the 19 graduates of the Carleton Project Friday evening at the Houlton Community Arts Center.
“Don’t expect a lot of smart things out of me tonight,” said Alan Morris, principal of the Carleton Project. “It’s nice to hear from adults, but we are really going to do something different and call on these graduates to send themselves out the door.”
Morris said graduation was similar to standing on the edge of a diving board.
“We have taught you how to swim, so we know you can, but you have to be the one to jump,” he said.
An alternative education center, the Carleton Project was founded by Houlton teacher and Carleton Project Principa, Alan Morris. After 20 years of teaching in public schools, Morris started a private high school in Presque Isle in 1999 with 12 students, and the school has since grown to include three additional locations that serve more than 50 students a year.
The Carleton Project’s mission is focused on student success. The school is 100 percent tuition driven, and enjoys partnerships with public schools that have come to understand the direct benefits for their schools and communities when they support students they recommend.
Graduates included Dakota Beaulieu, Brandon Bennett, Duncan Black, Jazlyn Brewer, Trynity Britton, Skylar Burns, Nicole Caddell, Tiana Foley, Trey Good, Austin Hatch, Arwen Joseph, Kiara Lord, Troy Nadeau, Dakota Pritchette, Hannah Steenwyk, Jesse Sturtevant, Brittany Vargas, Alannah Violette and Kaelin Williams.
Dakota Smith, a student at the school, sang a rap-song farewell to the Class of 2017, while Burns, a graduating senior, read an original poem about how the school helped her get through rough periods in her life.
Black, another graduating senior, gave a testimony of how he dropped out of Brewer High School three years ago with no plans to continue his education. “Today, I stand before you graduating,” he said. “I never imagined I would make it to this point, but it was by far the best decision I have ever made.”
Caddell, a 2017 graduate who will be attending the University of Georgia, gave an emotional address on the journey that brought her to the Carleton Project. “I am so happy that I am graduating today,” she said. “This day means so much for me. For me, this day is not just about being done high school. This is one of the many steps I’ve taken that finally benefit me. This is the first milestone I have reached toward bettering myself in preparing for a future that I had given up on.”
Caddell said two years ago she had reached a point in her life where she had given up due to circumstances out of her control. She then made a decision to come to Maine in September of 2015 and attended public schools. She was placed in the freshmen class, when by age she should have been a junior.
However, in December, 2015, she was recommended for the Carleton Project, which was, “the best decision I have ever made,” she said.
Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
