STACYVILLE, Maine — Thirty-one seniors at Katahdin Area High School bid a fond farewell to friends and classmates Saturday morning in an emotional service.
Led into the KAHS’ gymnasium by class marshals MacKenzie Roy and Forrest Heath, there was plenty of smiles, a few tears and a bundle of hugs and cheers for the graduating class of 2014. Katahdin continued its proud tradition of having the graduating seniors pass out roses to their family members or loved ones after receiving their diploma.
The theme of “lasts” resounded throughout the service. Valedictorian Matthew Cunha, in his address, remarked on how the entire senior year had been one long list of lasts and how, for some, it can come with a feeling of sorrow.
“There was our last soccer game, last time managing the boys basketball team, last PACK performance, last prom, last day managing the baseball team and last day of school,” Cunha said. “The list goes on and on. Graduation is a sad moment. In a few minutes, I will grab my diploma and walk down to Mr. Buhler to get my roses and I will hug him. Then I will walk over to my mother, father, and grandmother and there is no doubt I will be crying during all of this.”
He added while there is temptation to remain in the past, each senior was now tasked with finding a new way forward.
“High school is part of the past for us now as we move on to a new journey in our lives,” he said. “Whether it be college or work, it’s time for all of us to take that next step in our lives. All good things must come to an end at some point in our lives.”
Quoting H.P. Lovecraft, salutatorian Hannah Buhler addressed the fears that both she and many of her peers were feeling.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,” she said. “Every single one of us fears something. One allows oneself to miss out on opportunities claiming that they ‘don’t want to do it,’ but the truth of the matter is, the true fear behind these decisions, is the fear of failing.”
Her message to her classmates was simple … “to never give up.”
“Sometimes, you my feel like your fear of failure will consume you, but you must use that to push you farther than you ever thought possible,” Buhler said. “You all have given me the best days of my life and I hope that I have helped give you the same.”
Shelbe Lane, a member of the graduating Class of 2006 at KAHS, served as the keynote speaker. Lane, though just four years removed from her own graduation at the school, gave a thoughtful and poignant speech to the students on how hard work and perseverance allowed her to finish college in just three years and led her to her current path at the University of Maine at Orono’s law school.
“I could give you all sorts of reasons on why it is important to have a focus and keep an unwavering eye on your goals,” Lane said. “But the truth is, your goals are going to change. Many of the goals that move your life forward will be based on interests, opportunities and circumstances that you can’t even imagine. The trick is knowing how to achieve a goal.”
She imparted the following piece of advice to the grads.
“When faced with adversity, view it as a challenge, not as defeat,” she said. “You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the hero of your own life story.”
Delaney Fitzpatrick delivered a humorous class message for her fellow graduates. She told the comical story of how, as a junior, she was named a class officer because “no one wanted to be secretary.” She was also told not to worry because she would “not have to do much anyway.”
But when it came time for graduation, someone was needed to deliver the class message, which was typically done by the class president. However, Buhler is class president and salutatorian, so she was already speaking. Next in line was the class vice president, Cunha, but he too was already speaking. So the honor fell to Fitzpatrick.
She then took her classmates on a trip down memory lane, recalling several humorous tales of life lessons learned during their 13 years in the school system.
“Our class has always been pretty tight knit, and I have loved it that way,” she said. “But the time has come for us to take separate paths. Beautiful, individual paths. All of these paths will take us different places. When you think of our class, think of this … together forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart.”
