DIXFIELD — Dirigo High School presented 53 diplomas to the class of 2026 on a very warm June 12 at Defoe Gymnasium.

With fanning themselves with their blue programs, many people they watched Nikole Turnbull and Madison Knowles sing “Blackbird,” the Senior Choir sing “Cups (When I’m Gone),” and Autum Knox and Pheonix Lee recite the poem “Moving Forward.”

A highlight of the student performances was Braden Cottle’s guitar solo of “Technical Difficulties” by Racer X — a musical piece known for its relentless alternate picking, string skipping and intervallic jumps, demanding extreme precision and strict rhythm control.

Emma Chapman addressed parents before top 10 student Ella Cote delivered the valedictorian adress.

“Throughout the past four years, we’ve had help through our support systems, family, friends, coaches, teachers and those who push us to be better or believe in us when we can’t believe in ourselves,” Cote said. “Eventually, there comes a time where that support system can only take us so far.”

Graduation represents a transition, Cote said, where students become independent and begin to rely on what their support systems taught them.

“We have to take what we’ve learned and figure things out on our own while still finding comfort in knowing our support system is there for us, even if we’re not relying on it daily,” Cote said.

Some of the hardest lessons are the ones they have to learn for themselves, she added.

“For me personally, I learned that constantly putting others before myself eventually leads to me neglecting who I am. Being a good person doesn’t mean perpetually giving, especially if it comes at the expense of our own quality of life,” Cote said. “We have the power to know when to step back and control where our energy goes. With that being said, we can all care for others and be good people while still putting ourselves first.”

Cote said there will be many times when life will deliver power imbalances.

“But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that taking care of ourselves is not selfish,” she said. “We should actually be checking up and checking in on ourselves more often than we’re conditioned.

Cote said that learning for themselves stretches beyond academics and into life, even when no one is guiding them.

“It means figuring things out when there isn’t an answer key,” she said. “It means making mistakes, taking accountability and continuing forward.

“It’s OK to not have a perfect plan because we’re still learning,” she added. “What matters is we continue to try, continue to learn, and continue to grow.”

Following graduation, students were bused to Salem, New Hampshire, to the Canobie Lake Amusement Park for a day of fun.

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