Caribou High School bid farewell to the Class of 2026 during a graduation ceremony that packed the school gym on Sunday.
The 90-member class was led by Valedictorian Maggie Bell and Salutatorian Brayden Caldwell, who both addressed their classmates.
Caleb Swanberg, a 2007 Caribou High School graduate, member of the school’s Hall of Fame and a family physician at Pines Health Services, delivered the commencement address. He referred to the school environment as a reflection of the world with all its challenges, friction and lessons.
“The world can learn a lot from what happens in these halls,” he said. “You all got together as one class, and you celebrated that you got here not despite one another, but because of one another.”
He encouraged the class that they can go on to achieve all they want to be, perhaps even authors, senators and astronauts.
Caribou’s famous graduates include U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and astronaut Jessica Meir, and this year’s graduate Bell is also a published author.
But even more than achievements and titles, Swanberg urged them to find purpose in their own humanity and the moments they will create.
“What is the most beautiful of all is that they will all be yours, not because of who you are going to become, but because of the wonderful people that you already are,” he said.
Superintendent Jane McCall spoke to the graduates about their journey over the years and the new chapter they now begin.
For years, parents, teachers and others mapped out their lives, she said. As time went on, they were given more opportunities to make decisions on their own.
“Now, as graduates, you stand on the edge of a new journey,” she said. “More doors will open for you than ever before. The difference is, now it’s your turn to decide which doors to walk through.”
Each person’s story will be filled with challenges, accomplishments and uncertainties, McCall said. But no matter what, Caribou High School will always remain a part of them.
“The best stories are rarely the ones that everything is known from the beginning. They are filled with growth, courage, resilience and unexpected opportunities,” she said. “Your next chapter is waiting. Write it with kindness, and most importantly, write a story that is uniquely your own.”
Principal Jamie Selfridge, Assistant Principal Ben Goodwin, Athletic Administrator Evan Graves and RSU 39 Board Chair Lindsay Theriault joined McCall to present diplomas.
