By Matthew Dodge,Special to the Sun Journal

POLAND – A near-capacity crowd was on hand in the Poland Regional High School gymnasium Saturday to watch 121 seniors receive their diplomas and a few words of advice.

The graduates, dressed in their navy gowns and silver sashes, marched down the aisle to the familiar sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance” to become the seventh graduating class at PRHS.

Superintendent Nina Schlikin greeted the Class of 2006 musically, belting out a few homespun lines about her experiences with this year’s seniors. To groans and laughs, she reflected on her recent whitewater rafting trip with them.

Under a banner reading “Don’t tell us the sky’s the limit: we’ve seen footprints on the moon,” Salutatorian Allison Moad discussed the endless possibilities and opportunities available to this year’s class, and reflected on some fond memories of her classmates and her time at PRHS.

“This is a chance for one more class, one more lesson,” said Michael Carter, PRHS teacher, as he delivered the keynote address. Carter gave the 2006 seniors a look into what he called “the paradox of being human,” during which he told the class: “In spite of being unbelievably insignificant, we are each unbelievably precious.”

Carter demonstrated the paradox by presenting each senior with two items – a vial of sand, to represent the insignificance of the individual, and a gold coin, to let each of them know that no matter how insignificant they might feel, they are still precious and important.

In closing, Carter urged each member of the 2006 class to “treat themselves and others with the utmost respect.” Letting them know that high school was not the end of the line, he assured the grads, “You have the time to transform yourself into who you want to be.”

After a rendition of “Seasons of Love, from the Broadway musical “Rent,” by a quartet of PRHS seniors, Valedictorian Courtney Clark challenged the conventional meaning of success . She presented the class of 2006 with an alternative goal – happiness. “Success means one has found true happiness,” she said. “If you love what you do and do what you love, happiness will come easy.”

Speaking to her classmates for the last time, Clark looked into the crowd of blue robes and mortarboards, to the faces of her teachers, friends and family, and left them with heartfelt words: “May your dreams come true in this one wild and precious life, congrats and good luck, Class of 06.”

Superintendent Schlikin, PRHS Principal William Doughty and PRHS Committee Chair Laurie Levine presented the diplomas to the graduating class.

Copy the Story Link