With hooting, hollering, air horns and trumpets – and the wise words of Dr. Seuss – the message to the Westbrook High School class of 2007 was clear: This is not the end, but a beginning, and for Pete’s sake, go out and have some fun.
The 168 members of the city’s 130th graduating class received their diplomas amid ceremonial pomp at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium Sunday.
With the women marching into the auditorium from stage left and the men from stage right, the ceremony began with the traditional playing of “Pomp and Circumstance,” led by class marshals Samantha Peters and Brendan Casavant.
The ceremony moved on with remarks from Amanda Vincent, class president, and Meghan Quigley, athlete of the year, then with the patriotic music of “Star Spangled Banner” sung by Sarah Morneault, and the class-as-chorus singing “America the Beautiful.”
Honor essayist Jacob LaViolet then invoked Dr. Seuss, in what would be the first of several speeches to do so, before moving on to his own thoughts of what it meant to graduate.
“We now have the brain in our heads that will let us choose whatever path we want to follow,” LaViolet said. “All we have left to do is get out there and test these skills.”
Salutatorian Katherine Cottrell took the podium after LaViolet, again invoking Seuss, and carrying on with a theme of adventurous choices to be faced. Cottrell questioned the assumption that the logical question posed to all high school seniors is, “What are you doing with the rest of your life?”
“These decisions are not the end of the world,” Cottrell said. “We’re still young. There’s time to change our minds.”
After all, Cottrell said, “I don’t think Dr. Seuss said at his graduation ‘I think I’m going to write about a big cat in a red hat.'”
Valedictorian Eben Perkins followed Cottrell with his quotation of Seuss, and his own challenges on assumptions, speaking on the importance of having fun through life. Noting that many would think the valedictorian would have spent his entire high school career with his head buried in a book, Perkins said, “It’s the fun times I remember best.”
Evan Chase took the stage after the round of student speeches with a trumpeted rendition of “What a Wonderful World,” which his classmates clearly enjoyed.
Administrators then gave their final remarks before diplomas were conferred and the tassels shifted from right to the left. Marc Gousse, the high school principal, took his opportunity to offer the graduates advice.
“I implore each member of this graduating class to set high goals,” Gousse said. He noted that in total, the class has been awarded in excess of $1 million in financial aid, grants and scholarships.
“Become productive and contributing members of society,” Gousse continued. “Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Row out and meet it.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
