SCARBOROUGH – Lincoln MacIsaac, Scarborough High School language arts teacher and faculty speaker at the Class of 2013’s commencement Sunday afternoon, emphasized some ways in which the class of 2013 is already improving the world. By helping the adults around them to love life, for instance. “The energy that these kids have feeds me, makes me excited to be here.”
MacIsaac went on to stress the seniors’ other positive traits, including the gratitude they’ve learned, and learned to express, in growing up.
“Just last week, I was lucky enough to see the seniors on their last day of school,” he said. “They were out in the hallways, thanking teachers, thanking staff members, handing out cards, giving hugs.”
According to Sue Leighton of Scarborough High School’s Senior Placement Office, of the 254 students who graduated Sunday, approximately 90 percent will go on to some form of post-secondary education: roughly 72 percent to four-year colleges, 16 percent to two-year programs, and the remainder to one-year or certificate programs. Naturally, the University of Maine and Maine Community College systems are very popular destinations.
Three students are enlisting in the military, while one is going ROTC.
MacIsaac articulated what he believed to be “the truth of this moment: You guys are young, and strong, and full of potential … Soon you’ll be making more decisions than you ever want. So the first thing you need to do is learn to stand on your own, learn to trust your gut.”
Salutatorian Austin Downing focused on one of the feelings that influences our guts: passion.
“Each one of us is filled with passions,” Downing said. “These passions come in two types: There are the passions we already have, and the passions waiting to be discovered.
“The awakened passions inspire us, and foster a sense of pride in our actions … Meanwhile, the unknown passions lie dormant, and waiting, to add a fresh aspect to our lives, when found … The more time you devote to your passions, the more vibrant your life will be.
“Whatever your passions may be, over the years, they may take a different form, or change completely. We’re not the same person we were when we were five, and we’re not the same person we’re going to be when we’re 40,” Downing said.
“When I was young, I used to love getting a little time to myself to play with my Legos,” he continued. “According to my mom, playing with Legos is not quite an appropriate passion for an 18-year old … so now, I only sneak in a few creative building sessions when she’s not around.”
Class President John Sullivan had opened the proceedings with pure confidence.
“Scarborough High School’s lucky class of 2013 is going places,” he said. “Each individual has worked hard to get where they are right now. They will continue to do so after their tassel has been turned.”
Sullivan described his peers’ present skills, from athletic prowess to musical virtuosity to emergency medical training, and then elaborated on the students’ next steps, noting that Scarborough’s 2013 graduates will go into politics, engineering, the arts and the trades.
He also let his imagination go, envisioning unusual and glamorous careers for one or more of the students seated behind him. “There may even be future Hollywood actors, actresses, maybe even a director, on stage,” Sullivan said.
Valedictorian Alison Pelczar likewise gazed into a crystal ball.
“If we want to extrapolate the future, we must look back at all the things we’ve already accomplished,” she said. “We’ve been accepted to the colleges of our dreams, found our greatest passions, started down the path of being extraordinary.”
But Pelczar’s message was subtle, in possession of additional facets – of adult understanding. “The crowd is cheering, the spotlight is on, you are in your best suit. You are confident, you are certain, you are unstoppable,” she conjured, before pausing a long pause.
“And you will fail.
“I could stand up here and be optimistic, promise that we’re going to change the world, that no one will ever forget us. Unfortunately, life rarely works out the way we expect it to,” she said, before recalling lost championships, broken winning streaks, rejections from top colleges and other deflated dreams.
“But just because we might not change the world, doesn’t mean we can’t change our world.
“We all belong to a myriad of communities … and impact each, just by being a member,” she said. “Regardless of what we plan to do next, we are going to make a difference … It doesn’t matter if our impact isn’t global. We’re going to find our own corner of the world, and make it the best it can be.”
Grace Whelan, the class marshal, prepares to lower her baton, the signal for her fellow students to sit at Sunday’s Scarborough High School graduation.Staff photo by Adam Birt
Members of the senior chorus perform “For Good,” from the musical “Wicked.”
Scarborough High School valedictorian Alison Pelczar reminds listeners of the realities, and possibilities, of life. “We’re going to find our own corner of the world, and make it the best it can be,” she said. Staff photo by Adam Birt
Salutatorian Austin Downing delivers his address to classmates, faculty, family and friends.
Members of the Scarborough High School class of 2013 patiently await the presentation of their diplomas.
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