LISBON – Excitement mounted as they got their marching orders from the front of the line. This was it – the day that took a dozen years to reach.

Pomp and circumstance was the name of the game as hundreds gathered at the Lewiston Armory on Sunday afternoon – filling the balcony and floor – as Lisbon High School bid farewell to the Class of 2009. Ninety young men and women embarked on the next stage of their lives as they accepted their diplomas.

“It’s very exciting. I just want to get in there and get it over with,” said an anxious Zach St. Jean, 19, of Lisbon, as the line finally started to move. “I’m excited about all the people who are here today. This is such an amazing class.”

Salutatorian Sierra Guay, the class president, doubled as emcee for the event, introducing speakers and performers until the moment of truth when the graduates made their final walk across the stage. Guay urged her classmates to do more than recognize their mortality, but to strive for immortality by making a difference in the world around them.

In many ways, Guay’s speech served as a tribute to her late father, who died her freshman year of high school. She encouraged her classmates to consider the marks they mean to make in life by sharing positive memories of her own father and his involvement in her life before his death.

“What I do know, and what gets me through on most days is that my father lives on in the memories of many through his acts of kindness and his dedication to making a difference,” Guay said. “You need only recognize your ability to aid the greater good and understand your potential impact on those who surround you.”

Tom Stackhouse fully understood the point Guay was trying to make. The proud father looked on as his only child, Brendan, graduated from high school. He wasn’t just watching one son graduate, but dozens of his son’s friends he considered to be like his own children. For him, being an active parent made a world of difference in terms of the memories he takes away.

“I’m super-excited. I’m so proud. I retired from the State of Maine, I served my country in the military, but I’m more proud of this than anything,” Stackhouse said. “And you know what made all the difference? I did a lot of the school stuff with my son, so I got to know a lot of the kids.”

Valedictorian Megan Samson reminded her classmates to remember the good times as they prepare for the rest of their lives. She pointed out that everyone walks away from high school with a different set of memories and encouraged each member of the graduating class to hold tight to the ones that make them smile the most.

“I would like to encourage you to focus on these times and consider them as you go out into your futures,” Samson said. “Happy memories are always better than angry ones.”