PORTLAND — Amidst the flash of cameras and the rapt attention of the Bonny Eagle High School graduating class, social studies teacher David Ezhaya stood at the podium inside the Cumberland County Civic Center on Friday and evoked the spirit of the school’s founder, Jim Parker, who passed away last week.
Ezhaya evoked Parker’s belief in bringing together small town youth in a school that would rival those of larger communities, both in academic success and athletic excellence.
Smiling at the roughly 300 graduating seniors, Ezhaya told them that Parker would have been pleased.
“Mr. Parker would be proud of the behavior of this class,” he said. “It’s been a joy to watch you carry on the highest traditions of our high school.”
It was a statement evocative of the past, and while students and speakers took the time to reflect on the years that led them to that moment, some also took the chance to look optimistically to the future.
“Walt Disney once said our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,” said class valedictorian Devin Rheaume. “The story of fulfilling our dreams has only begun.”
It was a special moment for Beth Schultz, who became Bonny Eagle’s principal the same year the class of 2011 entered its halls as freshmen.
“Many of you seemed a little nervous,” said Schultz, “not knowing if you were going to fit in.” She added that most students eventually settled down and found their niche, becoming the wise young adults seated before her.
She also called to mind the school’s “Pay it Forward” initiative, based on the movie of the same name. During the school year, students were encouraged not to pay back a favor if one was granted to them, but to “pay it forward” and do something helpful for someone else.
“More people were smiling,” said Schultz. “For a while, cynicism was replaced by optimism and hope.”
That optimism was echoed by class president Taylor Bickford.
“This graduating class will shape the future,” she said, calling to mind some of the prominent figures throughout history who made significant impacts on science and the humanities, including Jane Goodall, Emily Dickenson, and Steven Spielberg.
“They are individuals who changed the world,” said Bickford. “They had a mission and a dream. That’s all it takes.”
Before seniors could line up and accept their diplomas, both they and the friends and family in attendance fell into a hush as soon-to-be-graduate Cara Kinney played a bittersweet rendition of “Wonderful World” on her saxophone.
As the last note sounded, an ovation broke out, and the onward march to the future became official.
“With courage,” said Rheaume, “we can pursue anything.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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