Photograph by Susie Tarr
EMOTIONAL — Ria Kinney shows a bit of emotion during last Friday’s Southern Aroostook graduation, as she received her scholarships, which were presented by her aunt Crystal Folsom.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
DYER BROOK — Last Friday night in Dyer Brook, Southern Aroostook Community School graduates learned they can start at the beginning to build their lives. After all, they learned all they needed to know in kindergarten — with Dr. Seuss.
“I used to love having Dr. Seuss books read to me when I was little,” said Second Honor Essayist Zachary Hartin-Brown. “As I was conducting research one day, I happened upon this book written by him that stuck in my head. It’s called “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” and it reads, “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
“I think this quote is a good example to live by because it’s saying that you are what you choose to be. You control your own destiny, and you are the only one who has the power to change it if you are unhappy,” he said.
Hartin-Brown told those in attendance that each graduate is responsible for him or herself.
“We all have a place and a purpose in this world, it’s just up to us to figure out what it is,” he said. “I believe we should always remember that success is not a high grade on a test, nor how much money we make doing a certain job. Success is setting a goal, giving it everything you’ve got to accomplish it and never giving up hope, and simply just being happy.”
Salutatorian Desirae Dubois also quoted Dr. Seuss in her speech.
“Something we learned during these four years is to be true to ourselves,” she said. “Don’t change who you are for anyone or anything. Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss gave us the best advice. As Dr. Seuss said, ‘Today you are You; that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than You.’ There is only one YOU in this world; why be someone else? There is nothing in the world that is worth losing your true self.
“My advice to you tonight is be yourself,” Dubois said. “We are stronger, wiser and smarter because of the journey we had during these past four years of high school.”
First Honor Essayist Jenica Frazier broke her speech into five Disney movie quotes.
“Toy Story” offers the first piece of advice: “You just need to believe in yourself.”
“No matter what path you choose, you will face trials and opposition,” Frazier said, addressing her classmates. “But, believing in yourself will allow you to endure and give you the strength not to give up.”
From “Pocahontas,” “Sometimes the right path isn’t the easiest one.”
“Just because our roads have potholes, collisions or trees that block our path that doesn’t mean we’re on the wrong path,” she said.
“Ratatouille” offers “You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.”
Frazier added, “Don’t let others define us and don’t hold back. This is the time to take risks, to explore, to reach for those outrageous goals.”
In the wise words of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Take it from an old spectator. Life’s not a spectator sport. If watching is all you’re gonna do, then you’re gonna watch your life go by without ya.”
“Take hold of this life that we have, take advantage of our young age, and don’t skip out on opportunities,” she said. “Those opportunities may be the beginning of a journey you never pictured yourself taking, but it just might be the chance of a lifetime.”
And, from “Aladdin,” “like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.”
“There are many times that we judge people by first impressions,” Frazier said. “This advice is calling us to dig a little deeper, not to be quite so superficial.”
In conclusion, Frazier took Mother Theresa’s words and told her classmates, “Let’s be the generation to make a dent in this famine. Let us share the love, bring hope and truth and share life with those who feel their life is worth nothing.”
Valedictorian Kristen Tarr used Shel Silverstein’s poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” as her counsel to her classmates.
“There is a place where the sidewalk ends and the street begins,” she said. “Our sidewalk ends tonight upon receiving our diplomas. Choose your street wisely; because the choice you make now will forever have an impact on your life.”
Silverstein wrote, “And there the grass grows.”
Tarr compared the Class of 2013 to the grass, “we will grow emotionally, intellectually and spiritually,” she added.
Another inspirational line of the poem says, “the sun burns bright.”
“In other words, no matter how old we get, we will continue to learn,” Tarr explained.
Tarr concluded her speech with three simple rules in life from Nora Roberts: “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it; if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no and if you don’t step forward, you will always be in the same place. Keep moving forward. You don’t want to be trapped in the past.
“Set the bar high and keep moving forward,” she said. “Each and every one of you has the potential to do amazing things and now is the time to make it happen.
“I want to leave my classmates with three words of wisdom; choices, chances and changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change,” added Tarr.
The commencement address was given by former superintendent Terry A. Comeau, who was both “honored and humbled,” to have been asked to deliver the speech.
“I’ve watched you all grow from shy kindergarteners to not-so-shy adults,” Comeau said to the group of graduates.
He recounted many fond memories he had from his years at Southern Aroostook Community School, where he partcipated in Puttin’ on the Hits, a production by SACS drama; attended various proms where he was cheered on by students to dance; and never missed Project Graduation.
His memories were accompanied by words of advice, which centered around the new and different choices and challenges the Class of 2013 would face.
“The only constant in life is change,” Comeau said.
“These changes can be positive and negative, mandated or volitional, obvious or subtle, bland or serendipitous, delightful or disastrous. Most often change is the direct result of the choices we make in life, but in many instances we lack the power to avoid any kind of change. We speak of it in depth and receive little, if any, training in it,” Comeau continued.
Comeau gave graduates advice about how to cope with a constantly changing world that continually expects a lot of them: “be yourself.”
“Be yourself by your own actions and deeds and it will help you practice change your whole life,” he concluded.
He then asked graduates to be honest with themselves and true to their beliefs, to be kind and considerate and to show compassion to others, count their blessings and finally to know that the classes of 2013 all over the world are the only hope of his generation.
In closing, Comeau left the Class of 2013 with this: “I reiterate my belief that your ability to be yourself will enable you to anticipate, embrace, and cope with the changes you and your fellow graduates all around the world will face. I assure you that while you might not always end up where you thought you were going, you will always end up where you’re meant to be.”
