SANFORD — Dylan Tranchemontagne knows exactly where he’s headed next ”“ the U.S. Air Force, he said, like his stepfather and his uncles.

“I’ve got my plan, and I’m set and ready to go,” said Tranchemontagne.

Come February, he’ll depart for a four-year hitch.

Friday night, he was in line, getting ready to march across the field at Cobb Stadium and graduate from Sanford High School.

Tranchemontagne was one of 286 seniors who earned diplomas on a picture-perfect evening ”“ not too hot and not too cold ”“ and the sun seemed to cast a glow on everything.

About half an hour before the ceremonies started it was photo time as families snapped pictures of their capped-and-gowned graduating seniors. There were those last-minute hugs and kisses and then the students gathered for a group picture ”“ the very last one before the ceremonies and before the next chapter in their young lives.

Piper Cronin posed for a photo with her son, Colby. He’s off to the University of Maine in Orono in the fall to study history and political science.

His mother said she’s proud. And then she voiced what all of the mothers and probably all of the fathers of the graduates on the field were thinking: “He’s my baby,” she said.

Susan Roy could relate. Her son, Keith Poole, the youngest of her five children, was among the graduates. For her family, the graduation also meant a family reunion. Joining her at the ceremony were two daughters who live nearby in Dover, N.H. and Wells, and two more, who live in Alabama and New York.

As they waited for the Sanford High School Band to play first bars of “Pomp and Circumstance” to begin their march, Adam Beck said he was getting nervous about the ceremony. It wasn’t so bad, he said, during practice, but that changed when the seats on the field filled ”“ as well as the bleachers.

Gwendolyn Benoit of Acton twirled a long-stemmed red rose in her fingers.

“I fidget when I get anxious,” she explained. Ahead lies a summer job and then seven years of college ”“ first earning her credentials as a nursing assistant and then onto a degree in physical therapy.

“I’m excited but I’ve got a long way to go,” she said.

Frank and Saviyen Greenhalgh were snapping photos of their daughters Salinda and Savina Dong. Salinda will be taking up nursing in the fall, Savina will pursue a degree in psychology. They’ll both attend Colby Sawyer College in New London, N.H.

Frank Greenhalgh said he and his wife are very proud of the twins.

“There was lots of pushing and prodding and it paid off,” he said.

Salutatorian Jedidiah Phillips spoke about learning how to ride a bicycle, how to get through grade school, high school and how to succeed afterward.

He said there will be challenges, “but you’ll be more prepared than ever to ride into the future.”

Katherine Daigle gave the valedictory address. High school, she said, good or bad, is just the beginning.

“The future is full of so many opportunities,” she said. “I urge you, more than anything, to rejoice in the ups, to hold your head high in the downs and to always look forward to the future.”

English teacher Lauren Durkee lead the Charge to the Graduates.

She spoke of accomplishments and challenges and related that to relax, she flies stunt kites. Sometime, she said, they’re hard to launch and she needs help, but once they’re in the air, “I can make them sail.”

“Rise up, find your direction and take the wind,” Durkee urged the graduates.

Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth “Betsy” St. Cyr, Principal Allan H. Young and School Committee Chairman Mark Lucier presented diplomas.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.