LEWISTON — There is no bogeyman under the bed, Francesca-Beth A. Haines told her fellow classmates of the graduating class of Edward Little High School Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

In keeping with the theme of the night’s speeches, “What’s under the bed?” Haines, who held the fifth honor of the Class of 2016, said it was fear, rather than the bogeyman, that might hold her classmates back as they make their way into the world.

She urged them to take risks, be different and not bow to pressures to conform. They should free themselves from societal norms, she said.

“Stop looking for validation through social media because no status or picture can truly embody you,” she said. “Do not — I repeat, do not — let the bogeyman control your life. It’s okay to be confident, courageous and vulnerable because, in the end, we are our own bogeyman and you have the ability to change that.”

Class Valedictorian Gareth W.E. Robinson built on that theme, quoting Karl Marx from a book Robinson has stored under his bed: “From each, according to his abilities; to each, according to his needs.”

To Robinson, the core of the quote “lies in the idea of equality. It means that in an ideal world, every individual would work to the best of their abilities and would subsequently be rewarded with means of living that matched their needs,” he said.

Each individual accomplishment by any student has influenced the collective experience of the whole class and should be celebrated for it, he said.

Of the 211 students in the school’s 192nd graduation excercise on Saturday:

• 157 are headed to college;

• 29 are bound for jobs;

• five have joined the armed forces; and

• 20 are undecided about the path they will follow.

Salutatorians Salma A. Mohamed and Spencer S. Dunn spoke respectively about not living life as a journal entry and instead reminding graduates that they have the world — literally — at their feet when they climb out of bed.

“The entire globe is underneath you,” Dunn said. 

Kaitlyn P. Cowan, who received fourth honors, likened the disparate pursuits of her classmates to the empty water bottle one might find under the bed.

Just because it once held water doesn’t mean it can’t be filled with a different fluid in the future, she said.

“We can flavor our water (or) we can fill our bottle with juice,” she said. She implored the graduates “to savor the moments, not just gulp them down.”

Emma E.W. Paradie, who graduated with third honors, employed in her speech the metaphor of cast-off clothes found under the bed to represent former skins, or versions of oneself.

“While most of us are thrilled to be independent and out of high school, it’s important to reflect on how much we’ve developed to get to this point, where we’re able to leave our old clothes in the past and create a whole new wardrobe.”

Principal James H. Miller III presented awards while Superintendent Katherine Grondin and School Committee Chairman Thomas Kendall handed out diplomas.

Seniors Nysa L. Chartier, Cowen, Autumn V. Elliott, Brittany M. Jalbert and Emma L. Wood, led by Riley G. McCurdy, sang the school song, written by George A. Bower, a member of the Class of 1903.

Seniors McCurdy, Pamela M. Monto, Morgan A. Laferriere, Alexis J. Petrain sang “Everyone’s Got a Story,” accompanied by senior Megan E. Farrington on guitar.

The Colisee was filled to capacity.

211: Graduates in the ELHS Class of 2016

157: Going to college

29: Going to the work force

5:  Joining the military

20: Undecided

School song: “Edward Little School Song: by George Bower, Class of 1903

Class speech theme: “What’s Under Your Bed?”

Individual speeches: “The Bogeyman” by Francesa-Beth Haines; “The Empty Water Bottle,” Kaitlyn Cowen; “Dirty Laundry,” Emma Paradie; “Journals,” Salma Mohamed; “The World,” Salutatorian Spencer Dunn; and “The Library,” Valedictorian Garath Robinson.

How the class will be remembered: “Spirited, enthusiastic, focused, committed,” according to Principal Jim Miller. “One of the nicest group of young adults who have demonstrated that they will make a difference in everything they are involved in to make the world a better place.”

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