At the eleventh hour last Thursday night, the School Administrative District 6 School Board voted to allow students who had acquired their GED to march with the class of 2013 during the Bonny Eagle High School graduation ceremony last Friday night.

The vote paved the way for Nicole DeMarco, 18, of Hollis, to take part in the ceremony.

DeMarco, who struggled with illness throughout her high-school career, had enrolled in the Bonny Eagle Adult Education’s GED course after failing to earn the required number of credits and attendance record to graduate. She didn’t take part in the adult education commencement held in late May and requested that she be allowed to take part in the high school graduation ceremony.

The board initially refused her request, but DeMarco learned of another student in a similar situation last year who was allowed to march with the class. When they learned the only difference between them and the other student was that the other student’s mother worked for the school district, the family hired a lawyer and lobbied for a similar privilege.

DeMarco and her family were excited to be able to take part in Friday night’s ceremony at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston. Her father Joe Jr., mother Lisa and brother Joe III watched from the stands as DeMarco marched into the arena, sat with her classmates and was the last of the 273 students to receive a diploma.

“I’m really glad I got to participate in it,” DeMarco said afterward. “I’m thankful for the School Board and the support of everybody in the community and my family for being there through all of this.”

Being last on stage was a “little nerve-racking,” she said, mostly because she got a large ovation as she walked across the stage and received a handshake and diploma from Superintendent Frank Sherburne.

“It was a little loud because people were clapping. The support was surprising but cool,” she said. “Everybody, even before and after, were congratulating me, giving me hugs, people I didn’t know, just coming up to me saying, ‘I’m glad you got to march.’”

The family attended a meeting the night before the ceremony with about 20 other supporters, and were glad that the board made the blanket change allowing all GED recipients to take part.

Nicole’s father said community support for the family has been helpful.

“The overwhelming support from everywhere really impressed me,” he said. “She did excellent, very impressive.”

Sherburne said the decision to allow GED recipients to march alongside high-school graduates is only temporary as the board reconsiders the graduation participation policy.