Graduation time is once again upon us in southern Aroostook County as local high schools will soon be filled with the next generation of students heading out into the “real world.”
East Grand and Houlton will hold commencement exercises on Thursday at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively. Danforth students will march in their high school, while Houlton will once again hold its ceremony at the Millar Civic Center to accommodate a larger crowd.
Hodgdon and Southern Aroostook will pass out diplomas on Friday at 7 p.m. at their respective high schools and Katahdin students will march into their school at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Greater Houlton Christian Academy has just one senior this year, and will not hold a full graduation ceremony. Instead, a private family service will be held.
Graduation means different things to different students. For some, it is a time of excitement and wonderment for what the next chapter of their lives holds in store. For others, it can be a time of sadness as they say farewell to their childhood friends, and their parents, as they prepare to head out into the great unknown.
And for most, it is a time of great pride and sense of accomplishment as the culmination of 13 years of learning has finally reached fruition.
Not much has changed in graduation ceremonies over the decades. Valedictorians and salutatorians still give speeches, offering words of advice to their fellow classmates, as if they somehow have additional insight into what the road of life has in store for them. Often times, those speeches are filled with fond remembrance from their time together. Occasionally, there is a comical story one will recall about the time he/she and some classmates experienced something goofy in school, that most people in the audience don’t understand.
Many of this year’s graduates were born in 1998, when the prices of many items were much different than they are today. The average cost of a new home was $129,300; the average income per year was $38,100; and the average monthly rent was $619. The cost of a gallon of gas was $1.15 and the average cost of new car was $17,200. A U.S. postage stamp cost 32 cents, while a pound of bacon was $2.53 and the same amount of hamburger cost $1.40; a loaf of bread was $1.26; and a dozen eggs cost 88 cents.
On the technology front, Microsoft released Windows 98, which became the staple for computer operating systems; the search engine “Google” was first introduced; and Apple unveiled the very first “iMac.”
Popular movies released in 1998 included, Armageddon, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan and The Wedding Singer.
The staff at The Houlton Pioneer Times extends best wishes to all of the area graduates. You are our future and it will be interesting to see where that future leads us all.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for The Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at jcyr@pioneertimes-me.com or 532-2281.
