LIVERMORE FALLS — Mike Luciano said he felt a sense of loss when the final frames of a documentary film on the history of Livermore Falls High School ended Friday night in the school cafeteria.

“I found my mother’s yearbook,” the 1970 graduate said as he and others gathered around one of his former teachers, Frances Wallace of Hartford.

Luciano’s mother, Jean Burbank, was in the Class of 1942.

The 80-minute film, “Closing Doors – One Last Glance,” drew scores of former students and teachers for the two showings. When the lights came back on, many tears could be seen streaming down the cheeks of men and women.

The school opened its doors in 1968. It was renamed Spruce Mountain High School two years ago after RSU 73 was formed with Livermore, Livermore Falls and Jay. 

The academic wing is closing soon and students will attend Spruce Mountain High School in Jay starting in August. With the closure, the town will no longer have a school where students are educated.

To remember its history and those who attended the former Livermore Falls High School, publishing students in Ken Landry’s class spent several months conducting interviews, collecting photographs, learning the history of the school and putting the film together. Old photographs with a voice-over, and dozens of interviews with former teachers and other staff members brought back an abundance of memories for everyone.

Much of the music accompanying the film said what many were thinking. Songs included “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” and “It’s So Hard to Lose the One You Love.”

The final segments of the film showed classroom and office lights being turned off and doors being closed by current and former teachers at the school.

Charles Drake of the Class of 2004 was home from North Carolina, where he serves as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, when he learned of Friday’s showing of the documentary.

“It’s nice to be part of the memories,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to change for the best of the community.”

He said he remembers well the rivalry between the Livermore Falls Andies and the Jay High Tigers.

“There were more than 2,000 people here (during a game). It was the biggest thing in town. Now we’ve got to find a new rival,” he said.

Drake was home last month when former high school football players took one last walk down the hill to the ball field.

He has been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan six times and will be sent overseas again when he returns to his base, he said.

Wallace said she greatly appreciated the film.

“It was marvelous, but very sad,” the retired business teacher said. “I’m impressed they got so many to come.”

DVDs of the film will be available in a few days for $10. All proceeds from the sales will help with costs associated with the Phoenix Class of 2014 yearbook.