WESTBROOK – Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Gates, and “The Hangover,” a comedy film about four guys at a bachelor party in Las Vegas, may not seem to have much in common.
But all were cited as sources of inspiration by members of the Westbrook High School class of 2010 at their commencement ceremony at Merrill Auditorium in Portland last week.
Kathryn Walsh, the salutatorian, quoted Gandhi as she urged her fellow graduates to make a difference in their lives by helping others. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” she said.
Molly Ridley, who gave the honor essay, used Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, as an example of how doing something you love — in his case, working with computers – leads to success.
“Take chances, be bold…and discover what you truly love,” Ridley told the graduates at the June 9 ceremony.
And Nicholas Harmon, the class valedictorian, cited “The Hangover” in his speech. That’s a film in which the groomsmen at the bachelor party wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing one of their party – the groom. His friends have to find him before his wedding.
Harmon told his classmates that the groomsmen exhibited the perseverance the new graduates, too, should emulate in life.
“Hang in there, stay strong and don’t stop believin,'” Harmon said.
“Don’t Stop Believin,'” by Journey, was selected as the class song, and members sang it together toward the end of the ceremony.
Receiving diplomas at the approximately one-hour event were 185 students.
Most of them – 153 students or nearly 83 percent – had plans to go on to higher education. The students would be helped by more than $3 million in scholarships, grants and financial aid, according to the high school principal, Marc Gousse.
Seven students were planning to join the military and the remainder had other plans, which included joining the workforce, serving in apprenticeships and taking a gap year, school officials said.
The graduation ceremony was student-centered, with no outside speakers. Kelsea Trefethen and Samuel Touchette were class marshals.
The ceremony began with a welcome from Walsh, who also is the senior class president. Touchette gave the greeting and then Ridley read the honor essay.
Then Walsh gave the salutatory address, which focused on service to others.
In addition to Gandhi, Walsh spoke of Greg Brooks, a Gorham man who sailed his boat, the Sea Hunter, to Haiti this winter to help take supplies from Maine to victims of a January earthquake there. Brooks faced all types of hurdles, including bureaucratic snafus, customs problems and a hungry Haitian mob. However, after much delay, he got the bulk of his cargo to an orphanage.
“If Greg Brooks could do it, why not us?” Walsh asked her classmates. “If we make a difference for one person, then we’ve made a difference.”
Tyler Waterhouse gave the concluding remarks, telling the students that in four years of high school, they had “turned from children to young adults.”
Also speaking at the ceremony were Westbrook School Committee member Suzanne Bearor and Gousse.
Bearor told the graduates, “I’m confident that you have been given the best education possible, now it’s up to you to make the best life possible.”
Gousse urged the students to be proactive in their future lives.
“Go forth, accomplish your goals. Explore your dreams and discover,” he told the students. “Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Row out and meet it.”
The Westbrook High School class of 2010 performs their class song, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” by Journey, at graduation ceremonies Wednesday, June 9, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. (Staff photo by Tess Nacelewicz)Send questions/comments to the editors.
