PORTLAND – “Always be honest, even if it hurts,” was the advice former Gov. Angus King had for graduates of Gray-New Gloucester High School Saturday night.”
He urged them to be very careful about protecting their good names, noting that, “Creating an image is like sculpting in concrete. At first, it’s soft, but before you know it, it has set up very hard.”
King, who delivered the commencement address, listed “10 things I wish I had been told when I was 18.” With a variety of one-liners, he made some serious points, such as “Treat your first job as if it’s the most important job you’ll ever have,” and “Don’t type anything into cyberspace that you wouldn’t want to see in the New York Times years from now.”
King told the 191 graduating seniors at the Cumberland County Civic Center ceremonies, “Your generation is entirely too casual about the Internet.”
Valedictorian Daniel Bastien thanked several teachers who had made an impact on his school years, including an eighth-grade teacher “who told me there are more important things than making an A’.” He also credited his experiences in drama for broadening his horizons.
Putting a twist on the class motto, chosen from a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson – “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Bastien said he believes, “What lies behind us and what lies before us is exactly what lies within us.”
Bastien sang the National Anthem at the commencement exercises opening.
Salutatorian Joseph Moran also had words of thanks for teachers, family and friends. He noted his appreciation in knowing classmates “who have achieved great things, and others who are yet to achieve them.”
Victoria Burns, Superintendent of Schools in Maine School Administrative District 15, said, “Your parents wonder Where did these 12 years go,’ and you are saying, Why did it take so long?’ And there are teachers who feel you are a very special class and wish you could stay.”
In his address to the graduates, Principal Paul Penna echoed much the same sentiments when he told them that time passes rapidly.
“Remember this important life moment,” he said.
The senior chorus performed “Like an Eagle.”
Matthew Robertson, class president, led the class in turning tassels on their caps and delivered the farewell address.
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