Katahdin bestows 33 diplomas

Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
CLASS MARSHALLS — Kacey Fogarty, left, and Keith Mitchell lead the senior class into Katahdin High School Saturday for commencement.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    STACYVILLE — “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
    Those were the words displayed prominently on the stage of the Katahdin High School gymnasium Saturday morning as 33 students bid adieu to their alma mater following the 2011 commencement service.
    Filled to near capacity, the gymnasium of KHS was alive with emotions as graduating seniors shared laughs and tears one last time in their school.
    Keith Mitchell, senior class president, welcomed family and friends to the ceremony and proceeded to relate a humorous tale from his freshman year at KHS.
    “I remember almost four years ago now, when my stomach shot up in my esophagus; the room tilting forward before me; the adrenaline rushing through my limbs; my eyes closing; and my jaw locking before the crash,” he said. “The crash, which consisted of the back of my skull smashing into an industrial heater. As I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, I see dropped jaws and mumbles of concern around the room, but one was much more distinguished. It was the sound of Mrs. Schmidt in a concerned voice, so sympathetic that it was rarely heard. I glanced up only to see her jaw hanging and to hear her concern in the form of ‘Oh my gosh, did that just break my chair?’
    “I realized that I had just gotten some sense knocked into me, as my mother would say, in front of all of my classmates,” he said.
    That humorous tale set the tone for Saturday’s graduation service. Kacey Fogarty and Keith Marshall served as class marshalls for the ceremony.
    Salutatorian Kolby Gallagher cited Ralph Waldo Emerson in his address to the class and audience.
    “Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood,” he said. “Graduating seniors are about to embark on a lifetime of experiences. This quote means a lot to my classmates and me. How can you learn from experiences if you have never had any? How can you lecture about life, if you have never lived your own?”
    Gallagher added the Class of 2011 has had its fair share of struggles, as most senior classes do, and marveled at how quickly the final year went by.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
TURNING OF THE TASSEL — Terry Duffy, left, a retiring teacher at Katahdin High School, turns the tassel of senior Shelby Lane during Saturday’s graduation ceremony.
    “It seems like just yesterday that we were all just a bunch of punks playing sports together, and having the times of our lives,” he said. “When the worst thing we had to worry about was getting to that base, making that basket or scoring the game-winning goal and not things like putting gas in your car or getting to work on time and then comes the bills we will have to pay. God knows we are not looking forward to that.”
    Gallagher concluded his speech with some thoughts on the paths that await each of the graduates.
    “I realize now that each and every one of us are traveling toward the same goal in life … happiness,” he said. “But not one of us will choose the same path. I hope that all of you find your own path and stay true to yourself. Because with truth and inspiration comes happiness.”
    The senior chorus, which featured Whitney Anderson, Kohle Birmingham, Chris Cloukey, Brianna Landry, Keith Mitchell, DJ Steeves and Andrew Vetter, next gave a stirring rendition of the Jackson 5 song, “I’ll be There.”
    Salutatorian Brittany Fogarty said she looked to a different source of inspiration in deciding what to speak about.
    “Quotes of wisdom are often taken from our famous predecessors, people who quite frankly, we have no personal connection to,” Fogarty said. “When I look for wisdom, I seek the words of my mother.”
    She then proceeded to use a quote that her mother, Lisa, used in her commencement speech back in 1979. “Each one of us is a unique individual,” she read. “And if we continue by abiding by what others tell us, we’ll never make it in the adult world. Now that we are graduating, we all should strive to obtain our own individual goals and work to bring out the best in ourselves in whatever we choose to do.”
    Valedictorian Vetter spoke of high school on both a personal and conceptual level.
    “For me, high school has been a time to enjoy friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime,” he said. “While we won’t be able to stand around in the hallways, enjoying our numerous inside jokes next year, we will be able to keep in touch.
    “In many ways, the people in our lives — our parents, teachers, coaches — have been our bridge builders,” he continued. “They have tried their hardest to use their own life journeys and experiences to make the way for us as easy as they can. While our own individual talents and attributes have contributed to our successes, there have always been people there who have experienced what we are now to help us along the way.”