BETHEL — Fifty-seven students from Telstar Regional High School received their diplomas Friday night during a ceremony in the school’s gymnasium.

Valedictorian Richard James III left the audience laughing as he delivered a speech that recounted his first experience with the SAD 44 system.

“I was a child at the time, and me and my mother were running late to an event in the Telstar auditorium,” James said. “Normally, this would be fine but there was a full house and we were forced to stand in the back. Fortunately, I found a way to end my boredom and hatched a scheme to return home.

“But my mom did not share my enthusiasm,” James said . “Neither did Dr. Murphy. Or the Bethel fire chief.”

As the audience laughed, James grinned and said, “Apparently, pulling a fire alarm is frowned upon. But I was young, and they let it slide. The name Ricky James became a headache that day to the administration and today they celebrate the end of my journey.”

James said “in the end, all I can say about this place is that it helped each and everyone of us.

“I’m definitely not as good as I could be,” he said. “I’m probably not as good as I should be, but everybody here is a better person because of being here and for that, Telstar Regional High School, we thank you.”

Kevin Annis, who was ranked third in his class, said that he was surprised by “the bonding of our class” this year.

“We all grew closer and closer together and our collective friendship has surpassed any previous expectations,” Annis said. “I’m proud of our class and the way we came together this year.”

Annis concluded his speech by encouraging his classmates to “embrace this new change” and to face their fears.

“Don’t let the fear of failure or the unknown dictate your future,” Annis said. “Harness that fear. Own it. As we venture off into the real world, I challenge each and every one of you to take a chance and try something new.”

Salutatorian Colton Davis admitted to being nervous during his speech and shared some advice he was given before the ceremony.

“They say you should imagine the audience in their underwear,” Davis said. “I don’t think the person who said that had to give a speech with their grandparents in the audience.”

The audience laughed and applauded, and Davis continued, explaining that “we’re sitting amongst the future of our country: future doctors, lawyers, nurses, maybe Walmart employees. Who knows?

“The future is in our hands,” Davis said. “Greatness is not defined by one’s ability to do good on a test or their social skills. It’s defined by you and you alone.”

Poet Richard Blanco, who was chosen as inaugural poet by the Obama administration in February, was the guest speaker and told the audience that speaking to a roomful of his fellow citizens was in some ways more nerve-wracking than reading at the inauguration.

“It’s for a good reason, though,” Blanco said as he smiled. “This is community. This is home. This is family. That makes it a little more personal.”

Blanco continued, saying that he wanted the graduates to “start listening to their inner voice.”

“I’m not talking about that inner voice that is probably going through your heads right now, the one worrying about your cap falling off or tripping while walking to get your diploma,” Blanco said. “It’s that voice that was with you when you were playing alone on those lazy afternoons in your backyard, the voice inside of you that’s your best friend and knows you better than anybody else could.”

He concluded his speech by telling students that though life will get “much more complex,” it will be up to them “to make choices and decisions for yourself, and up to you to ask questions and answer them for yourself.”

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