‘Be the best they ever saw’

Windham grads hear sobering words of wisdom

At Windham High School’s 118th commencement ceremony, held at the Cross Insurance Arena on Sunday afternoon, the 243 members of the class of 2015 were offered reflections on overcoming immense personal obstacles, as well as advice from U.S. Sen. Angus King.

Alana Dube, the graduating class’ Second Honor Essayist, spoke about the struggles of living with the autoimmune condition alopecia – which causes permanent hair loss – since she was 3.

“As a waitress in town, I see hundreds of new faces each time I work,” Dube said. “Not a shift goes by where someone doesn’t question my lack of hair. Many ask if I have cancer, if I am going through treatment, or if I am doing OK, always implying my health. Who knew such a simple question could have such a big impact on my outlook on life?”

Dube said the experience of constantly being questioned about her autoimmune condition has yielded the insight; “Too often are we upset or angered by simplistic things that we can’t change.”

“Each time I get the chance to reply, ‘I am not fighting a terrible disease,’ I am reminded that my problems are minuscule in comparison to others,” she said. “I am reminded that I could have it far worse than having no hair on my head and that no days in life are guaranteed.”

King offered a wide variety of suggestions to the graduating class, ranging from advice on how to use the Internet to the early cultivation of a strong work ethic.

“Don’t write anything into cyberspace that you don’t want your grandmother to read on the front page of The New York Times,” King said, to great applause.

“By the way, I don’t know about you, I feel really cool that I was alive at the invention of a new verb, ‘to google,’” he said. “That’s pretty cool. Can you imagine being able to tell your grandchildren, ‘I was there when they invented ‘run.’”

King also encouraged graduates to work hard at their first jobs after graduation.

“Treat each job as if it’s the most important you’ll ever have,” he said. “This summer most of you are going to have jobs. You’re not going to be running General Electric, or be a congressman, but you’re going to be maybe a nanny or cleaning up swimming pools or cutting grass or working in the woods or working in the store, or whatever. Be the best they ever saw in that job.

“Now is your time to make an impression,” he said.

Class President Ian Donnelly delivered the graduation’s closing remarks. Donnelly has been dealing with a recent family tragedy. His brother, Shane, 16, committed suicide on May 20, according to Windham police Lt. James Boudreau. In his speech, Donnelly described his perspective following his brother’s tragic death.

“In lieu of the most tragic moments of my life, I stand from a strange cosmic perspective. I stumble through, day to day, seeking what matters and, although that sounds overtly depressing, I see the world through a lens few are left with. It feels as if my world has been violently torn in two by unfair hands, and the only thing left in the middle is kindness. Quelling my darkness is the love of our community, set aflame with Shane’s own kindness.”

Following Shane Donnelly’s death, the Windham community rapidly mobilized an online donation campaign for Windham High School’s Project Graduation, the annual effort to ensure the safety of graduating seniors. Every year, members of the high school graduating class are bused to venues for the 24 hours following graduation, in order to provide spaces for safe entertainment and socializing. This year, Donnelly’s mother, Kim, has played a lead role in organizing the effort, which is typically expensive and labor intensive. After Shane Donnelly’s death, organizers revised attendance numbers for the event upward, projecting that virtually the entire class of 260 would attend, in support of Ian Donnelly, for an additional cost of approximately $10,000, according to organizer Mark Cobb, also the father of a graduating senior. Six days into the fundraising effort, $9,870 of the $10,000 goal had been raised from 166 donors.

Toward the end of his speech, Ian Donnelly expressed gratitude for the community support he and his family have received in recent weeks.

“If I am certain of one thing, it is that, with this class, I am not alone. All of you have not only been there for me, but also been there for each other in this time. It can be said of all of you – students, faculty, family, and community – that there is something greater at work here, an unconditional love that has established its presence among all of us. Shane is not gone. He is here with me now as I go toe to toe with my fears, and no matter what you believe, as long as you are willing to open your heart and perpetuate that same love and kindness, he is with you, too.”

“As a class, and as the next generation to brave this turbulent and challenging world, we go forward knowing fully and thoroughly that we are here for each other,” he added.

The Windham High School senior chorus performs “Next to Me” by Ceili Spaulding during commencement exercises Sunday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena.Staff photo by Ezra Silk A Windham High School graduating senior senior prepares to receive her diploma at the Cross Insurance Arena Saturday