Spruce Mountain High School’s class of 2026 received a sendoff June 7 that looked back on their years in school and ahead to college, work, military service, trades and other paths.

Speakers urged graduates to carry forward perseverance, appreciate the present and remember the families, teachers, classmates and community members who helped them reach the stage.

Principal Thomas Plourde asked seniors to think back on their first school experiences, from kindergarten and the playground to middle school, high school, exams, open campus lunches, prom and marching practice.

“This is your moment to celebrate and be recognized for the hard work, the perseverance, the dedication you’ve shown through the years here at Spruce Mountain High School,” Plourde said.

He encouraged graduates to take risks as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

“Be passionate about your aspirations,” Plourde said. “Be compassionate with your families, friends, co-workers, and your leaders.

“You’ve shown this school in this community that strong leadership and perseverance are worth it. You’ve made us proud, and we wish you the very best as you move forward.”

Plourde recognized guidance counselors Chris Beaudoin and Caryn Waceken, Superintendent Scott Albert, school board members, faculty, office staff and the custodial team for their roles in supporting students and preparing for the ceremony.

Valedictorian Annalaya Spear addressed her classmates as the “COVID-six graders.” She said the class was standing “at the edge of something new, something uncertain, and something full of possibility.”

“Some of us are heading to college,” Spear said. “Some are entering the workforce. Some are going into the trades or still figuring things out. And honestly, that last group might be the most honest out of us all.”

Spear said every path deserved respect, noting that the world needs nurses, electricians, teachers, welders, engineers, mechanics, business owners and linemen. She joked that, judging by how often the school Wi-Fi stopped working, some more of those linemen were “desperately needed.”

The heart of Spear’s speech was perseverance. She said graduates had faced days when they were overwhelmed, doubted themselves or felt the finish line was far away.

“Because the truth is, perseverance is what brought us to this stage,” Spear said.

She said the diploma represented more than grades or attendance. “It represents growth,” Spear said. “It represents resilience. It represents every moment we kept going, even when it would have been easier to quit.”

Spear said the road ahead would not always be easy and that graduates would face failures, heartbreaks, wrong turns and uncertainty.

“Strength is not about having everything figured out,” Spear said. “Strength is about continuing forward even when you don’t. Because we are capable of more than we think.”

Salutatorian Nathalie Baker reflected on the lessons students learn beyond academics, drawing on her experience in musical theater and a school trip to New York to see the Broadway musical “The Outsiders.”

“As a teenager, life can be pretty conflicting,” Baker said. “You have all these expectations of who you are and the new responsibilities that people assign to you.”

Baker said high school can teach students that they are not fixed in place by those expectations.

“But a good high school teaches us differently,” Baker said. “And besides all the math formulas and historical events, we can learn far more important lessons about who we are and who we can be.”

Baker said she found many of those lessons through theater after earlier avoiding drama because of COVID, anxiety and the fear of being cast as another pet after once playing a cat with one line.

“That is until I discovered the Spruce Mountain stage,” Baker said. “And I’m so glad that I did because my passion for theater taught me so much and really helped me enjoy my time here.

“The Outsiders covers a lot of topics, but some of the main ones were the themes of acceptance, being true to yourself, and appreciating every moment in your life because they can pass before you know it,” Baker added.

She said self-acceptance was also important, especially amid expectations and social pressure. “Self-acceptance is so valuable,” Baker said. “And while it can be one of the hardest things to learn in high school because of all those aforementioned expectations and social pressures, it really helps you lead a much better life.”

“I like me and I hope that you like you as well,” Baker said.

Baker closed with a reference to Johnny Cade from “The Outsiders.”

“I hope that throughout all of it, you take the advice of Johnny Cade,” Baker said. “Stay gold.”

Plourde said scholarships awarded to students exceeded $450,000 this year and thanked the communities of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls for their generosity.

After the diplomas were presented, senior class President Sophia Steward delivered the farewell address. She told her fellow graduates to “savor the moment.”

Steward said some graduates would go to college, some would enter the workforce, some might join the military and others were still figuring out what came next.

“No matter where life takes us, this is the last moment we will all share together as the class of 2026,” Steward said.

Steward said she was grateful “for the teachers who challenged us, encouraged us, and believed in us,” and for families and loved ones “who supported us through every success and setback.”

She asked classmates to look around at their teachers, families and each other before turning their tassels and beginning the next chapter.

“Take in the sounds, the excitement, the nerves, and the joy of this moment,” Steward said. “Years from now, when life looks completely different, and we have careers, families, and responsibilities of our own, I hope we remember how it felt to sit here today surrounded by the people who helped us get to this point.”

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