A tip of the cap to Houlton High School graduates

12 years ago

HOULTON, Maine — It was a time for laughs, a few tears and of course plenty of “silly string” Thursday evening as 61 students bid a fond farewell to Houlton High School.
As has been the tradition at Houlton in recent years, once the students turned their tassels, signifying they were no longer students of HHS, the John Millar Arena erupted into a sea of confetti and “silly string” before the graduates gleefully marched out of the building.
    Senior Class President Danika Fitzpatrick welcomed the standing-room-only crowd to the evening’s festivities.
“Most people believe that a high-quality education will ensure a person’s future success,” Fitzpatrick said. “I speak for all of our classmates here tonight when I say our time here has truly been valuable. However, our greatest successes are not in the four walls of a classroom. The most essential information we acquired is from multiple mistakes.”
Fitzpatrick then recalled some of the more memorable, and humorous gaffs both she and her fellow classmates had made during their 13 years in the school district, including a story of how Isaac Brown stapled his finger to a paper in first grade.
Salutatorian Alana Smith told her fellow classmates how difficult it was trying to come up with the right words for her speech.
“I recognize how presumptuous it would be for me to try to impart any supposed wisdom, when the only thing I’ve learned from life is how little I really know,” she said. “So I was looking for a sentiment that encompassed more experience and perspective, and I think I’ve found it. Mavis Leyrer famously stated, and perhaps this is the only thing that Mavis Leyrer ever did famously, that ‘Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, ‘What a ride!’ Yeah, that was the profound literary reference with all of the gravitas that I was searching for.’”
She also imparted the following words of wisdom.
“I want you to find whatever makes your heartbeat pound in your head and do it, whether you think you can do it or not,” Smith said. “Just go for it. I hope none of us are satisfied solely by existing. I hope instead that we all note the nuanced distinction and live, truly live, deliberately and on the edge of our seats.”
Robert Cowperthwaite, a former principal at Houlton Elementary School who served during the time that the Class of 2012 attended HES, gave a heartfelt speech for his commencement address.
“When we first met, you were learning to tie your shoes,” Cowperthwaite said. “Thank Heavens for Velcro. You also learned to line up at the sound of the bell, your ABCs and 1-2-3s. Time passes and life happens. Today you are all exceptional individuals.”
Cowperthwaite said he knew the Class of 2012 would “dream big” and was impressed to see how the group would leave its mark on the community with its pink flamingo fundraiser.
“Each morning at HES, I would go to my closet to determine which tie the students would like most that day,” he said. “So today, in your honor, I’m wearing my pink flamingos. I guess you could say ‘I’ve been flocked.’”
The senior chorus sang two selections — “Over the Rainbow” and “Seasons of Love.”
Valedictorian Cody Woods spoke on the importance of living in the present, but not at the expense of keeping an eye to the future. He used the analogy that a person driving a car must not only look 10 feet in front of them, but also keep an eye on the horizon to avoid potential accidents down the road.
He also spoke on the importance of maintaining friendships.
“We have all seen the support friends give to us, but the most revealing moments about the importance of friends are those in which we are absent of friends and feel the consequences,” Woods said. “Some of us have felt this more than others, but we each can understand this feeling to a certain degree. Therefore, never turn down an opportunity to be with a friend. If you are driving and are tired, they can drive for you. If you are lost and need direction, they can direct you. Even just talking with them is important, because if you are traveling down I-95 with an empty seat beside you, it can be a long ride. Look around you, tonight may be the last time you ever see some of your friends, so enjoy this moment but also remember if you ever need a friend reach out to them, because true friendships may seem to fade away, but they never disappear.”
Woods also offered the following wishes to his fellow classmates.
“To each of us success is different, but what I will say is that anything material is fleeting and at best we are only stewards of money and possessions,” he said. “I think Einstein put it best when he said ‘Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything counts that can be counted.’ With this knowledge I hope that each of us can find happiness in our lives.”
Before the conferring of diplomas by Houlton High School Principal Marty Bouchard and SAD 29 Superintendent Mike Hammer, Zacharia Harvey read a self-penned class ode, “’Nugh Said,” which imparted words of wisdom to his peers.
“So stand tall tonight and have a sense of pride, we’re a class to remember, it’s been a great ride,” he said. “Look forward to your future and have no regrets, the best is ahead, your reputation resets. Have fun while in college, but don’t lose your head, but whatever you do remember ‘Nugh Said.”