The old rafters and some surprising lessons

To the editor:
    This will be one of the last of these notes that I write for a while. Need to take a bit of time to savor the sunrise and sunset of ordinary days.     It has been fun to come home and also surprising. getting back in the middle of the week and seeing the sights brings back a lot of memories. So too does the special election results that showed up this week. Toss in a great graduation and one has to wonder just what makes the city tick.
    It was good to see so many of my old classmates, (PIHS Class of 1982) and their kids line up to receive diplomas in the boys gym at PIHS. now it’s called the lower gym. The banners from the ‘70s and ‘80s are for the most part gone, probably in storage somewhere. But the catwalk where I started videotaping some of the practices of the basketball team so long ago is still there.
    It was sad to realize that while Presque Isle has for the last 40-plus years dominated state events in an unprecedented fashion there are still people who begrudge every dime spent on their children’s education. I spent many years covering local politics for various television markets. The arguments are the same. They (schools) don’t need any more money and therefore they are to be fought every step of the way when it comes to educating all students. Presque Isle has proven to be no different from the other communities.
    As I listened to the students graduating, the pride and perseverance that they showed at graduation brought back a sense of the pride which the Class of ‘82 had had. Many of our programs were under funded. Our teachers found a way to get past the grumpy sour pusses including a superintendent who did not want to fund travel to the other New England states for competitions. Today, the same district is now considered the example for all other districts in the state to emulate.
    It was pleasing to note that this year’s graduating class holds the values of a decent earned education so highly. These students are our future. Yet, small-minded, selfish bigots saw to it that the district must cut even more because they voted down the budget. Yeah! We saved people money! What amounts to $8 out of $100,000 was too expensive. Is this the message we should send to our students?
    Every one of those 144 graduates demonstrated that they are ready for the awesome responsibility we entrust to them: Making this world a better place. Because of bitter vicissitude and disinterest on the welfare of our future, some myopic citizenry opposed necessary expenditures to keep the district producing a product that still causes the rich and mighty of Portland to wonder why we do more with less. Is this the message to send to our graduates?
    Graduates of PIHS now work all over the world. I am one of the proud ones, proud of the values and support that I received from my education. But I also know too well there are mean spirited people who would seek to take away that education from others for selfish reasons.
    To those graduates of 2009, you are great. you have a long road ahead. It is to you we will look for support and solutions to the problems of today. I can only hope that the negative vote of their parents is something that shows stupidity rather than hostility to the triumphs that are going to come to you in the future. Good luck.