BUCKFIELD — Diplomas in hand, ready to turn their tassels and exit the school for the last time, the graduating Class of 2015 inspired one word from adviser Faith Rines.
“Unique.”
Rines asked students who’d already landed jobs to stand: a third did, while the others were headed off to join the military or begin college.
Class Secretary Bethany Kraske said the 2015 class was special, given how rare it was to see every member graduate on time.
One of those seniors headed to school in the fall, Valedictorian Calvin Downey, gave his fellow classmates a numerical understanding of their time in school: roughly 1,000 days in class, or 360,000 minutes, a significant portion of their lives. While they worked hard to get where they were, Downey, who will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute next year, said more choices lie ahead.
“Take notes of the small details. Ask questions of yourself and others. Search for the answers, no matter how hard,” Downey advised.
Speeches from students and faculty emphasized the personal bonds among the 36 seniors, whose parents packed the gymnasium of the Buckfield Junior-Senior High School on Saturday evening. As the chorus intoned the school song, more than a few well-wishers, some beaming, some with tears in their eyes, joined in.
Salutatorian Jesse Warren thanked Principal George Reuter, Superintendent Craig King, teachers and parents. Warren spun the idea of the “stubbornness” that he saw in his classmates as a positive force.
“We all have different ideas about how things should go,” he said. “But that’s good: Express those ideas at your job, with your family, and whatever else it is that you do.
“Do what makes you happy. This is the beginning of the rest of your life,” he said.
Keynote speaker and teacher Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski said the graduating class held a special place in her heart because they were the first seniors for her to see graduate.
Before they turned to social media to exclaim their excitement, Bellefontaine-Krupski outlined three bits of parting wisdom: speak the truth, work hard and be humble.
Shy in high school, she said that once she got to college, she was forced to speak up, speak out and voice her opinions in class.
The results were unexpected.
“No one judged me,” Bellefontaine-Krupski said.
She said that the graduating class will have to work hard to overcome roadblocks, but the effort will make the triumph — whatever the goals might be — all the more sweet.
She then issued a challenge.
“It’s up for you guys to decide: Are you going to be active or passive citizens?”
Class facts
36: Graduates in Class of 2015
23: Going to college
10: Going into workforce
3: Joining the military
Class song: “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
How the class will be remembered: “This is a wonderfully talented group,” Principal George Reuter said. “Each graduate, with their own chosen path, will make the world a better place.”
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