117 Caribou High School students earn diplomas in Sunday graduation ceremony

CARIBOU, Maine — Hundreds packed the Caribou Performing Arts Center Sunday afternoon for the Caribou Class of 2018 graduation ceremony.

The lights dimmed, and 117 seniors slowly walked onto the stage as “Pomp and Circumstance” played through the auditorium.

When all were seated on stage, graduating senior and NHS member Rieley Bossie offered up an invocation: “Let us find our passion, embrace it and live it. May we be guided in the right direction.”

Bossie asked that “we always remember where we came from, and never forget the people who helped us along the way.”

“May we be challenged to live our lives to the fullest,” Bossie concluded, “no matter the circumstances. Amen.”

In her address, Valedictorian Kyra Thibeault, who is headed to the University of Maine at Fort Kent, began with a quote from American poet Mattie Stepanek: “Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now.”

“I thought back to our very first time here,” she said, “when an old man with curly white hair, Mr. Fishman, was telling us how time would fly and we’d be seniors before we knew it. Looking back, everything happened quite quickly.”

Thibeault said that, in beginning “a new chapter,” she hopes she and her classmates can utilize not only the knowledge, but life lessons and wisdom, that they gained in high school later in life. The valedictorian closed by emphasizing the importance of “following your gut.”

“You can be so certain of something,” she said, “but overthinking will confuse you and make you unsure. Trust yourselves, and forge your own path. You are the only person who really knows what’s right for you. Create your own journey, because it starts today.”

After Thibeault, Salutatorian Nicholas Sleeper, who will be attending Harvard University, also addressed his classmates.

Sleeper thanked his family, teachers, and coaches, telling the audience that he “would not be on stage” if it weren’t for them. In his address, he compared the experience of adult life to that of his high school track team.

“Within a track team, all people have a place,” he said, “from the lead athletes who would be great distance runners, to the stronger athletes who would be excellent throwers. It does not matter. Each person has a role on the team and, most importantly, each person is of equal importance.”

The salutatorian said this is “just like life in the real world,” in which “every individual in society has their unique assets,” giving examples of people who excel at motor vehicle repair while others are experts in finance.

He commended Caribou High School track coach Roy Alden for his “special ability of seeing potential” in every player.

“Mr. Alden coaches us and gives us the confidence to achieve things we never imagined feasible, but he knew all along,” Sleeper said, adding that the team won the state championship on Saturday.

Sleeper continued, adding that “unfortunately, Mr. Alden can not follow us through life, no matter how much we like his company,” and proceeded to give post-high school advice.

“Grow as a person, outwork everyone around you, and most importantly, make yourself proud,” Sleeper said. “Collectively, we have so much potential and merely recognizing that fact will bring us amazing accomplishments. Do not meekly settle for average, but rather boldly be the best you can be and reach for the spectacular.”

RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak then shared anecdotes and practical life advice with the graduating class.

“The greatest financial investment you will make in your life is to continue to pursue a high level of post-secondary training,” Doak said. “Maine needs a highly skilled workforce to carry our state into the 21st century.”

He said that living in The County has given students a “strong work ethic,” a “sense of what family means, small town values,” and taught the importance of “being proud of who you are and where you came from.”

“If you want to be remembered,” Doak said, “let it be for the size of your heart, not for what you wear for clothes or drive for a car.”

In his own life, Doak said pride was “one of the hardest things to overcome,” and that he lives by the motto: “If you’re not practicing, someone else is, and they will win.” Looking back, he said he learned that truly great leaders are those who “make other people great leaders.”

He left the class with three points of advice in their future endeavors: know your craft, develop people skills, and be financially savvy.

He shared a story of a man he knows “who was a great chef,” and “could cook a meal that nobody else could.”

But the man was somewhat shy and knew little about managing money, Doak continued. Because he lacked in those skills, the man “soon lost his restaurant and had to move on to another career.”

Doak ended by telling everyone to “take a moment this afternoon to look around.”

“For some of you, this will be your last time in Caribou High School,” he said. “Spend some time over the next few days with Mom and Dad. Being with family is important. You need to thank them for what they’ve done in the past, especially for what they’ve done this week, and what they will do in the future.”