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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet From left, Joelle Dionne from Madawaska, Nikolai Harsfeldt from South Portland and Paul Webster-Pact from Wales turn the tassels on their mortarboards to officially become graduates. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — With a mixture of smiles and tears, 33 students graduated from the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone on May 26 while a crowd large enough to pack the Limestone Community School’s auditorium whooped and cheered for the new graduates.
“Before we look onward, we must first remember where it is we came from,” said student speaker Johnathan Massey. “We would not be here today if it were not for the hard work of our parents, guardians, extended family and friends that have helped us along our journey as students; the people in our lives have helped to shape and mold us into the people that we are today, and we owe much of our success to them.”
Not a single speaker during the graduation left the podium without first imparting a vivid description of just how special MSSM is as a whole.
“None of what we’ve celebrated today would be possible without the combined efforts of the faculty, staff and the student body; their hard work together makes MSSM successful,” said MSSM Board of Trustees Chairman Jerry Pieh. “This gem of a school is more than most — a direct reflection of those who do its most important work in classrooms, in the dormitory and all across this campus and town.”
State Rep. Bernard Ayotte concluded his speech by describing the expectations of MSSM’s famed student body.
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet As faculty applauded their now former students, MSSM’s newest alumni basked in their first moments as high school graduates. They are, from left, Alden Porter of Glenburn, Darius Haskell from Woodland, Min Kyu Kim from Wolpyeong-Dong, Korea, James Lee from Farmingdale and Helen Roberts from Falmouth. |
“Graduating high school is a milestone of American life and it’s a gateway to adulthood and, incidentally, there’s an old Biblical saying ‘To whom much is given, much will be expected,’” Ayotte cited. “I want to tell you that by the very fact you’re sitting here today, graduates of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, you have been given much and, of course, much will be expected of you; I’m sure you won’t disappoint anyone through your perseverance, hard work and the strong ability to never give up.”
As MSSM students and graduates are known for their intelligence as well, keynote speaker Dr. Tom Keller, co-director of the Reach Center and senior program officer with the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education, encouraged the graduates to face the grand challenges the world offers.
“The National Academy of Engineering has identified several of them; I encourage you to think about what can be your role in solving these or contributing to their solution of these complex problems,” Dr. Keller said, charging the students to think about making energy economical and sustainable, developing carbon sequestration methods, providing access to clean water, advancing health informatics, engineering better medicines, securing cyberspace and advancing personal learning.
“You’ve had a little taste [of advancing personal learning] here,” Dr. Keller explained. “You’ve had instructors who’ve worked with you in many, many cases one-on-one; that personal instruction — how does the rest of the world have that opportunity?”
Dr. Keller talked passionately about current endeavors to set standards in education nationwide, describing an unprecedented collaboration between 46 states, to come together “around what we expect kids to know and be able to do, and what we expect educators to do to help them get that base foundation, especially in mathematics and English/language arts.”
Dr. Keller described how there are currently 26 states working on the next generation science standards, which aim to unify math and science standard levels across state lines.
“If we look at this nation, there is a lot of migration from state to state and within the state, and even within school districts, there’s a variation on what kids are learning in science and math,” Dr. Keller said. “Based on the educational research that we have developed now, we know that kids build their knowledge upon their previous knowledge and if that previous knowledge is fragmented, they don’t have much of a foundation for what we want them to know and be able to do.”
Dr. Keller also addressed the recent educational push in STEM courses (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
“In other schools and places across the country, those four disciplines don’t ever converge or at least don’t work well enough within education, and I think the MSSM has a much better model to bring those common areas together.”
Though MSSM graduates do have an academic leg up in their educational pursuits, student speaker Massey described how MSSM has impacted himself and his classmates in much more than scholastics.
“As a graduate of this year’s class, I cannot adequately put into words the impact that this institution has had upon my life. We will all move on from the MSSM as more sensible people than we were when we first arrived; we have all matured and gained knowledge that will propel us forward into the future, thanks to our wonderful and dedicated teachers and staff members,” Massey said. “The knowledge that I have gained in two years at the MSSM has changed me for the better and has helped me grow and progress as a student and as a person.”
“At times, the MSSM is a chaotic and stressful place,” he said. “But most of the time, it is the one place that I want to be more than anywhere else, and the one place that I wish I had more time at. MSSM means something different to each graduate, but it will always hold a special place in my heart. I will always remember it as the starting point of my future, and the place where I met some of the smartest and most dedicated people that I know.”
With a life-long career in education, Dr. Keller offered the graduates seven points of advice:
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Executive Director of MSSM Luke Shorty imparted one final message onto MSSM’s seniors before they went off into the world. “Let your bliss and your passions be your guide throughout your life, and you’ll never go wrong.” |
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Dr. Tom Keller shared with MSSM’s graduates a bit of life advice; aside from challenging them to solve some of the world’s complex problems, he also encouraged them to learn how to cook “More than a burrito in the microwave,” he joked. |
“First of all, learning where your food comes from, and learn what’s in that food. You would be surprised.
“Learn how to cook — that doesn’t mean a burrito in the microwave.
“If you’re off to college, get to know the graduate students. They’re the ones who are just a little bit beyond you and can help mentor you in what are the good possible tasks, what are the good directions to go in and what are the directions you need to know about. If you’re off to another adventure, seek out mentors. There are people around who would be happy to tell you of their experiences, and learn from those experiences.
“Do something good.
“Thank people — your parents, siblings, classmates, teachers, and not just teachers in school. It costs basically nothing, maybe a stamp, maybe 10 minutes of your time, but it pays huge dividends.
“Always befriend support staff and custodians; they know everything that is going on anyway.
“Always remember that you’re special not because you’re a graduate of MSSM, although that is very special, whether you will have this degree or that credential or have to wear a funny hat, but because of who you are and what you do, so make wise choices.”
