LEWISTON – As twilight fell and hundreds of friends and family members clapped and cheered, nearly 250 Lewiston High School seniors became graduates Friday night.

Held on the high school’s Don Roux field, the two-hour ceremony was filled with songs, jokes and more than a few standing ovations. Speakers heaped praise on the class of 2003 and offered words of advice.

“Rather than think of this as the end of our high school careers, we can think of it as the beginning of our lives,” said class President Desiree Douglas.

She urged her classmates to follow both their instincts and their dreams.

“You have come this far and only you can decide what your future will be,” she said.

Class valedictorian Kristin Jacques listed the graduates’ accomplishments, from their volunteer work and sports championships to the creation of a schoolwide Diversity Day and an interactive CD yearbook. She praised her classmates’ kindness and compassion, predicting that the class of 2003 will become many things “but most of all, we will be good people.”

Clark Porter, a popular Lewiston High School math teacher, delivered the keynote address. He called the class bright and “funny, bordering on wacky.”

In a speech both funny and poignant, he told the new grads he enjoyed watching them grow through four years of high school.

His advice: “Work hard in your chosen profession, take care of business at home and do the dishes before going to bed.”

In blue and white gowns, which are the school colors, 248 seniors received their diplomas as the sun began to set.

As the ceremony ended, graduates tossed their caps into the air. Fireworks exploded overhead, shimmering in gold and red and green.

Of the 248 graduates, 59 were part of the National Honor Society. Seventy percent will go on to higher education, Principal Patrick O’Neill said. Ten percent will go into the military and 20 percent will enter the workforce.

ltice@sunjournal.com

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