PORTLAND — The white lights of Portland’s Cumberland County Civic Center shone brightly on an expanse of forest green robes, white caps, and eager faces waiting to receive their diplomas on Friday night.
That was the sight greeting Reba Meserve, Bonny Eagle High School’s 2012 valedictorian, as she took to the stage and told her class that “the next few years really do matter.
“We are waiting to see what happens next in life,” she said. “For the first time, we have the complete freedom to make our own choices.”
Her comments ended with the sound of 278 graduates, and a packed house full of family, friends and loved ones, all uniting in rumbling applause.
It was soon after the echoes of that applause had faded that it was replaced by the sound of feet shuffling as graduates filed into lines and, one by one, received the leather-bound diplomas they had spent four years of their lives working to attain.
For some, it was a gateway to a continuation of their education. Graduate Shawn Starkey said he plans on attending the University of Southern Maine in the fall, with a major yet to be determined. For the time being, he was happy to bask in the accomplishment of finishing his high school career.
“It feels good,” said Starkey, with almost palpable relief.
Other will take a less conventional route ”“ like Anisa Watson, who hopes to one day run her own daycare.
“I’m taking a year off to travel for a bit, and then I’m taking an online course for business,” said Watson, who said she’ll miss her friends and teachers.
No matter which course the graduates take, it was clear from the comments of Principal Beth Schultz that the Class of 2012 has left a positive legacy behind. One by one, Schultz ticked off the reasons that she was proud of the young men and women in cap and gown ”“ with each item on the list humorously punctuated by a song snippet played by the school band.
Among the things that made Schultz proud: Sportsmanship at athletic competitions, artistic contributions to the classrooms and hallways of Bonny Eagle, being positive role models for underclassmen, and, as she told them directly, “The way you speak up when something needs to change.”
Comments to the class were capped by keynote speaker and Bonny Eagle English teacher Skipper Geanangel, whose obvious rapport with students was evident by the easy laughter that greeted his opening lines.
But underneath the humor was a heartfelt message for the class.
“You are surrounded right now by the people who have helped make you who you are,” said Geanangel. “You have been my teachers. You have taught me so very much.”
The class, he said, is not a group comprised of beginners. Rather, they are “continuers,” and he implored each young adult to keep continuing, whether it be through rough seas or smooth waters.
“You have so much to look forward to,” he said.
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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