SALEM TOWNSHIP — The Mt. Abram High School senior class cheers drowned out the downpour that rattled the roof of the gymnasium Friday evening as the graduates celebrated.

Ceremonies started at 7 p.m. with the band offering a rousing rendition of the national anthem. Scholarships totaling $100,450 were awarded to more than half of the 62 students graduating.

Salutatorian Joshua Beedy, son of Karen Holbrook of Phillips and Gary Beedy of Salem Township, offered fellow students a look back at their freshman year. With four elementary schools, he said, many students had been competitors in sports events. Students moved from those rivalries to friendships that will continue beyond graduation, he said.

Beedy said he learned that preparation was at the top of his list for qualifications for success as an athlete.

“Sports has also taught me that training is a key part in life,” he said. “Whether it be studying for a sports event or for an AP exam, it is always necessary to prepare for that next step.”

Marco Aliberti told the audience he remembered vividly his first address to students as the new principal of Mt. Abram High School in September 2011.

“I was scared,” he said. “I really wanted to say something to connect with everyone.”

He decided to tell students the story of his grandfather, a first generation Italian immigrant, who came to this country with nothing but wanted to go to college. Such drive and determination of family members three generations ago are part of the reason he was able to stand before them Friday. He thanked the audience for their efforts and dedication to the Class of 2012.

Valedictorian Jazmin Knapp, daughter of Dean and Beverly Knapp of Freeman Township, shared some light-hearted farewell comments with her classmates. 

Knapp, who has had an active high school career, with a shining history of academic excellence, volunteer work and community service, compared making a life with baking a cupcake.

“A pinch of practicality, a splash of generosity, a heaping tablespoon of humor, and a little college funding assistance,” she said, “this might call for an industrial-sized mixer, folks.”

Knapp said there is one secret ingredient necessary for a successful cupcake recipe for the lives of the graduating students: love. 

“Without that ingredient, we would not be the strong, confident, mildly unhinged people you see before you today,” she said, “Thank you to all the chefs out there who provided us with that spice of life.”

Knapp will attend the University of Southern Maine, and Beedy will attend the University of Maine, Orono.