THORNDIKE — During the Mount View High School commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon, graduating senior Hailey Davis took the stage three times — once to delivery an address as class valedictorian, once to be recognized for earning several scholarships and once to be commended for earning a prestigious spot at the elite U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
As West Point representative Joseph Lopes delivered the appointment to the academy on behalf of President Barack Obama, Davis received a standing ovation from the hundreds of parents, faculty and community members who had shown up to witness the graduation of Davis and 107 other senior class members.
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Lopes said Hailey was one of 1,000 students nationwide who had been selected from a pool of 15,000 qualified applicants.
“West Point demands a particular kind of student,” he said.
Davis is one of six students from Maine who received the honor. Lopes said that soon she would be in charge of leading others through difficult situations in other parts of the world.
Davis’ parents, Jeff and Jamie Davis, said they were proud of their daughter for carrying on a family tradition.
“She has had her sights set on this goal for a while,” Jeff Davis said, noting that her two older brothers also had been accepted into the academy.
While Davis has excelled in her years at the school, her message to her fellow students was not about the rigors of discipline.
“Enjoy life,” she told them.
Davis said each student would have an opportunity to improve his or her own happiness.
“I hope it goes better for all of you,” she said. “Either way, in the words of Robert Frost, ‘It goes on.'”
Salutatorian Skye Siladi, who plans to attend the University of Maine at Orono, said the students had demonstrated a vital human trait of adaptability during their years at the school, particularly during a massive curriculum shift to standards-based lessons.
“While high school has been painful and difficult at times, it has also been the best time,” Siladi said. She urged her classmates to focus on the good times.
“We go our separate ways, but we have left a mark on each other that will last forever,” she said.
Of the 108 graduates, 34 planned to enter the workforce immediately, 60 plan to continue their education in college or technical institutes, six have plans to enter the military and eight are undecided, according to the event program.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling — 861-9287
Twitter: @hh_matt
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