AUGUSTA – During Oak Hill High School’s graduation ceremony Monday night, graduates in caps and gowns fanned out into the Augusta Civic Center audience with roses. They searched for people special to them.

Randy Wheeler found Jerome and Patricia Davis. He hugged both and gave her a rose.

“Randy is my granddaughter’s boyfriend. He’s a very nice boy,” she said.

“I’m a dairy farmer in Sabattus. Randy’s been working for us for quite a few years,” he said. “He’s a damn good kid.”

A few feet away, Charlotte Westling and graduate Aaron Surette embraced in a long, bittersweet kiss.

“We’ve dated for two and a half years,” Westling said through tears. Things will be soon be different for them. She’s a junior and will be moving. He’s a senior and will be going to college this fall.

A few rows away, Aaron Stewart found his grandparents, Celia Brault and Roger Paquin. Both got hugs. She got a rose.

Sons and daughters found mothers and fathers, siblings, aunts and uncles. Students found special teachers.

More hugs and roses.

The “special recognition” as it’s called on the program, is a graduation tradition at Oak Hill, a school where students come from Sabattus, Wales and Litchfield.

Before the ceremony began Jonathan Perron, 18, of Sabattus, and Jordan Dupuis, 18, of Wales, smiled as a relative took their picture.

“I’m a little excited. Happy to get out,” Dupuis said.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet that we’re graduating,” Perron said. “But I’m definitely excited to get out in the real world.”

The two have been friends since they were freshmen. Both plan to major in business at the Southern Maine Community College this fall.

According to principal Patricia Doyle, the large majority of graduates plan to go to college in New England.

“Some are going to Boston colleges, Northeastern and Brown. Quite a few are going to the University of Maine System,” Doyle said. “A lot are staying in Maine, but a good portion are branching out. A few are going into the military.” With the Iraq war continuing, “this is a tough time to do it. But some are making that choice.”

She described members of the graduating class as giving.

Right after Hurricane Katrina hit members of the class were the first to raise money for victims, and they raised money for tsunami victims, Doyle said. Earlier this spring one senior was, and still is, battling a life-threatening illness. The seniors held a spaghetti dinner to help raise money for their classmate.

“When there’s a crisis this class is the first to come and want to do something to help,” Doyle said. “That’s been consistent since they were freshmen.”

Before graduates received diplomas, student speakers remembered their days at Oak Hill. Speakers included Christopher Blais, Hannah Lennett and Bethany Latulippe. Latulippe styled her speech after Abraham Lincoln, saying students have been engaged in a great challenge.

“We met every weekday at Oak Hill, a great battlefield of that challenge.” They were there Monday “to celebrate our time at Oak Hill, as a final conclusion for those who here gave their efforts that that education might bring success.”

The world will not remember what the graduates said Monday night, Latulippe said. But the graduates will never forget what the faculty did for them.