BINGHAM — For the 10 tight-knit students in Upper Kennebec Valley Memorial High School’s Class of 2016, saying goodbye to their classmates Sunday was more like saying goodbye to siblings they’ve grown up with over the last 13 years.
“One of the many perks of being part of a small class is we’ve been able to form great relationships with everyone and their families,” said class valedictorian Jordan Belanger, holding back tears in remarks at the school’s graduation ceremony Sunday. “We all have a second set of parents, and I am forever grateful for that.”
The closeness of the Class of 2016, a product of growing up in a small community, seemed to be the theme of Sunday’s ceremony, which took place in the school’s gymnasium before family, friends and staff. Salutatorian Collin Miller and guest speaker Kenneth Nadeau, a former teacher in School Administrative District 13 who now teaches and coaches elsewhere in central Maine, also commented on the benefits of living and attending school in a small community.
All of the students in the Class of 2016 are going to college except for Miller, who is joining the U.S. Navy. In a speech Sunday he recalled growing up in a family of six boys, which he said was similar to his experience at school.
“I’m proud to say I’m best friends with every one of my classmates,” Miller said. “I will miss everyone. From first grade until now you’ve been my second family. It’s kind of funny because both families are about the same size.”
Nadeau, who is currently a math teacher at Warsaw Middle School in Pittsfield and the football and track and field coach at Winslow High School, touched on some of the special things about the region: the great cheeseburgers at Baker Mountain ski area, fishing at Wyman Dam and the success of the high school’s state championship basketball team.
“This region is one that only the people of Bingham, Moscow, Concord and Pleasant Ridge can truly understand,” Nadeau said. “The true treasures of this region though are its children, and we’re here to celebrate them today.”
In his advice to the graduates, Nadeau advised them to make time for themselves, show kindness each day and surround themselves with people who love them. He also told them to never be afraid of making mistakes.
“Mistakes are like a workout for your brain. When you have to work, you grow,” he said.
Both Nadeau and valedictorian Jordan Belanger took time in their speeches to individually mention each student in the Class of 2016 and thank them for things they had taught them.
Towards the end of the ceremony each student left the stage on which they were sitting to present their families with flowers and a hug while the song “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift played in the background. Several students and parents cried.
“Growing up, every time I turned around one of you stood beside me,” Belanger said to her classmates. “There came a time when I no longer saw you as classmates but as my siblings. To be honest, anyone who knows this class knows we fought as siblings and still do. It’s been a long 12 years together, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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