Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
IN HER THOUGHTS — Hodgdon High School senior Kassidy McKissick tucked a photo of her boyfriend Philip Lycette, inside her graduation cap Friday evening. Lycette is a member of the U.S. Army stationed in Fort Benning, Ga.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HODGDON — Thirty-six seniors marched through the halls of Hodgdon High School one last time Friday during commencement services at the school.
Principal Mary Harbison started off the evening by announcing the all-around male and female student for the year.
“These awards are given to the young man and woman whose morals and character exemplify the qualities that we have striven to teach at Hodgdon High School,” Harbison said. “These are the students that any one of us would like to claim as our own.”
Josh Hudson and Lacey McQuarrie were the recipients of the awards.
“As you all know, tonight is a special night,” said salutatorian Devon Logie in his address. “It marks the end of our childhood and the beginning of our adulthood, whether it be in college, the workforce or the military. I am tremendously proud of all my classmates. We have been a group that can really work together.”
Logie closed his speech by quoting J.R.R. Tolkien.
“It’s a dangerous business going out your door,” he said. “You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
The school chorus performed the song “Letting Go,” by Hank Wildhorn before first honor essayist MacKenzie York took the podium for her speech. York said one of her biggest fears was public speaking.
“People ask me ‘What is it about (public speaking) that scares you?’ and I tell them it’s the pressure, all eyes are on you, and being unable to capture people’s attention.”
Overcoming that fear is something that motivated York throughout her high school days, she said. York also said it was not too late for her classmates to overcome any challenges in their lives.
“It’s never too late to be who you wish to be,” York said. “There’s no time limit. You can start and stop when you want. You can change or stay the same. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you all make the best of it. I hope you all see things that take your breath away. And if you don’t seem to be living the life you wished, I hope you all have the courage to start all over again.”
Valedictorian Nick Lunn had the audience in stitches with his comical, yet poignant address.
“In the probable event that my speech crashes, your seats do double as floatation devices,” he joked, before turning serious. “I would like to thank my God, Savior and best friend Jesus, who has always been by my side.
“Fourteen years ago some of us were walking into Mrs. Clifford’s pre-K class and playing with the toys and trucks,” Lunn said as he reminisced about the years his classmates spent together.
He closed out his speech with the following words of wisdom, “Think positively, network easily, exercise daily, eat healthy, work hard, stay strong, build faith, worry less, read more, be happy, volunteer freely, relax often, love always and live forever.”
Superintendent Bob McDaniel, in his final address to Hodgdon students as he is retiring at the end of the school year, gave one last humorous speech to the student body.
“Every year, I have asked to go before the students, because I am too old to keep up with these kids,” McDaniel said. “Besides they steal half my moxie anyway. I know they are going to listen to me tonight, so I thought, I will do something different. I’m going to give you a list of things I want.”
McDaniel proceeded to give a list of those things he wished for the Class of 2013.
“I want you to enjoy this moment,” he said. “I want you, before the night is over, to find someone sitting out in the audience and thank them for a kind word they may have said or support they gave you during tough times.”
McDaniel added he did not want students to lose contact with one another as the years go by.
“There is no excuses, with all the devices you have, to stay in touch with each other,” he said. “You have made great friendships, so don’t lose them.”
He also encouraged the class to not be afraid to fail, citing inventor Thomas Edison as a reference. Edison, he said, failed 1,000 times with his inventions, but instead of looking at it as a failure, he simply learned 1,000 ways something did not work.
