DIXFIELD — Through the sounds of cheers and vehicle horns on the football field, forty-four Dirigo High School seniors held up their diplomas as their names were called during graduation exercises Friday night.

Seated 6 feet apart and wearing face coverings because of the coronavirus pandemic, they listened as senior Adrianna Belskis addressed them on the importance of memories, respect and the value of family and friends.

She said since the first day of high school she’s read a quote Madeleine L’Engle, author of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

She read it to the class: “An IQ cannot measure artistic ability. A potential Picasso may be a flop at objective vocabulary or number tests. An I Q does not measure a capacity for love … How do we teach a child — our own, or those in a classroom to have compassion: to allow people to be different; to understand that like is not equal; to experiment; to laugh: to love.”

“Each day I recall the quote,” Belskis said, “not just by the marks on the paper, but by the pull at the back of my head, reminding me of the time when I felt unexceptional, lost or alone. It reminds me that movie nights with friends, late night dinners, team dinners are priceless compared to any numerical sum or trophy on a mantle. These memories make us all simultaneously alike and unique.”

She asked that everyone remember what it was like when someone held the door open for them, or did some small thing for them.

“If we all worked a little bit harder to be present and remember what it felt like when moments like these happen, and to promote the respect and togetherness that gives weight to these moments, we have the potential to make a world of a difference in our communities,” she said.

“I ask everyone to remember the value of family and friends in this time, and in this new age. And remember that we will get through this, together,” she said.

Alexis Holman presented a farewell to seniors, Emily Jamison addressed parents and Damien Nadeau sang, “I Lived” by One Republic.

Dirigo High School senior Adrianna Belskis addresses graduates at ceremonies Friday night at the school football field in Dixfield. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

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