47 members embody 2016 class
LIMESTONE, Maine — Classmates, faculty, friends, and relatives filled nearly every seat of the Limestone Community School auditorium last Saturday as students experienced their final moments in the institution and prepared to encounter adulthood, post secondary education, and the seemingly boundless offerings of the world ahead.
Forty-seven students marched into the auditorium to a live performance of “Pomp & Circumstance”, featuring MSSM Music Instructor Andrew Sullivan on the violin.
Before receiving their diplomas, speakers gave orations with life advice, personal anecdotes, and a dose of humor.
In 2016 graduate Mara McDonough’s student address, she urged others not to define those they meet with a few brief stereotypes, explaining that, in her time at the magnet school, she learned that people are far too complex to be explained with a few short sentences.
“Stereotypes never quite work here,” McDonough said, “that’s not to say they don’t exist, because that would be a naive lie, but after knowing all of you for years, it has become impossible for me to view any of you simply as a few words. None of us will ever be flat out smart, none of us will personify the words ‘nice’ or ‘funny.’ Each of you is far more complex than any number of words that can describe you. We’re going to be us, and for each of us, that will be something different.”
McDonough’s speech received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Keynote speaker Melissa White Pillsbury graduated with the MSSM Class of ‘97. As a student who attended the school during its initial years, Pillsbury described how, despite having an exceptional understanding of STEM subjects, she was drawn to social sciences.
“It was the non-STEM courses [at MSSM] that triggered something in my brain that I hadn’t engaged in an intellectual way before. I eventually realized I was really interested in learning about how society and people function.”
MSSM Executive Director Luke Shorty, who graduated in the MSSM Class of ‘98, touched on the nature of change after diplomas were received and tassels were moved from right to left.
“Change is a constant theme in life,” Shorty said. “ All of you have seen change in your years of attendance at MSSM. These changes are both external and internal, ranging from friendships to school size, to perseverance, to maturity, to school staff, and to your own knowledge of the universe you inhabit. We live in a dynamic and vibrant world full of change. By its nature, it is full of unknowns and uncertainties, because of this it can be scary, exciting, frustrating, and emotional all at once. Change can be divisive, as we see on a local, national, and global scale, but it doesn’t have to be.”
Shorty left students with some “old advice” as the ceremony reached its conclusion.
“When confronted with discord, work towards unity through civility,” said the school director. “When surrounded by doubt, work to reestablish faith and confidence. When you find despair, plant hope. When you encounter sadness, embrace it with empathy, kindness, and sensitivity. Wherever you find the fires of hatred, vitriol, and anger — douse them in the clean water of love and compassion. And in doing this, all of this, and using this as your guide, what a wonderful world this would be.”
