AUBURN — It may have been the most bittersweet graduation ceremony in the history of St. Dominic Academy.
As they gathered at the school to send off the latest round of students Friday night, everybody involved seemed vividly aware that, with the future of the school in doubt, this might be the very last graduation at St. Dom’s.
The trick was to not let it show.
“Everybody is staying upbeat,” said math teacher Andrew Girouard, just before the students marched into the St. Dom’s auditorium. “It’s good to celebrate these seniors no matter what might be happening next year. They’re excited and we’re excited for them.”
Class of 2025 President Brookelyn Irene Whited said that with the school’s recent troubles, the vibe was a little bit different this year. Her classmates, she said, were fully aware that they are likely the very last class to graduate from the academy.
Otherwise, Whited said, it was just preceremony jitters as usual among the 35 graduates.
“I’m a little nervous about getting up to speak in front of everybody,” she said. “But I’ve been practicing in my car, so I’m ready.

Yet the gloomy state of affairs at St. Dom’s weighed heavily on the minds of many, including Kathy Martin, serving in her first — and likely last — year as Head of School.
Both of her parents graduated from the school, she said. So did her grandmother and so did Martin, herself, along with her husband, Matt, whom she met at St. Dom’s.
On Friday night, Martin had the honor of handing her son, Logan, his diploma.
But even that came with that bittersweet tinge.
“My daughter Ava, currently a sophomore,” Martin said, “will be the only member of our family who will not graduate from this beloved institution.”
Her personal history is so deeply connected to the school, it almost seemed unfathomable that this was the last graduation ceremony St. Dom’s would ever see.
“This legacy is more than just dates and diplomas,” Martin said, “it’s a testament to the deep roots, memories, and community built here over decades. Our family’s story highlights what this closure means on a personal level to many families who have called St. Dom’s home.”
And yet, the graduating class of 2025 had to be sent off in proper style, so all of the pomp and ceremony was there Friday night just as it has been every May for the school’s 84-year history.
Kassidy Cote, in her valedictory speech, reminisced about all that she and her classmates had been through together. It was a particularly tight group, she said, some of them having been together since elementary school.
And now it was coming to an end.
“As we received our cap and gown and went on our last retreat, it set in,” she said. “This is the end. We made it! We made it through years of midterms, finals, standardized tests, and AP exams. We made it through countless essays, college applications, and financial aid forms. We made it through senioritis, senior scrapbook, Symposium, and Involvement. We experienced high school dances and spirit weeks. We supported playoff runs and rivalry games.
“Whatever life threw at us over these past four years,” Cote said, “we made it through, eventually, and we didn’t do it alone. Even as some lost family, or family and friends moved away, we moved forward. We moved on through heartbreak and college rejections.”
Salutatorian Curtis Wheeler highlighted the fun the class has had over the years. He talked about learning to play poker at the school and making videos.
He talked with mirth about the senior prank, which involved a Slip-n-Slide in a school hallway and balloons in the stairwells.
But near the end of his speech, he turned wistful.
“As we prepare to leave St. Dom’s behind, I can’t help but reflect on how much we used to wish for this moment,” Curtis said. “When we were little, we wanted to be older. In elementary school, we couldn’t wait for middle school. In middle school, we counted down the days till high school. And now? High school’s over, and all we want is just a little more time.”
His advice to his peers and to those just coming into high school was simple: Don’t wish days away. Enjoy the little things and don’t be in a rush to get to the next thing.
“So let’s take that advice. Let’s slow down, look around, and appreciate what we have. Because no matter where we go from here, no matter what we achieve, the most meaningful moments will always be found in the simple things — shared laughs, real connections, and time well spent.”

Social studies teacher Kelly Angell recalled seeing this class as freshman four years ago and wondering what kind of adults they would someday make.
“I have to say that you have done a stellar job,” she said, “maturing into individuals who are exemplars of our four pillars — study, community, service and prayer. From freshman year through senior year I have watched the class of 2025 create their own identity with grit and determination.
“Throughout the years,” Angell said, “your class has extended kindness to others when it was not required, displayed courage in the face of adversity, and took on leadership roles when it wasn’t expected. All of which exemplify your legacy as the class of 2025.”
Although efforts are afloat to keep St. Dom’s open, there is no promise that a graduation will take place at the school this time next year.
In March, it was announced that St. Dom’s will close its high school, grades 9 through 12, at the end of this current school year due to “significant operational losses” going back several years.
A group of alumni, parents and community members have been trying to devise a way to save the school.

Last week, though, diocesan leaders announced they would not agree to operate the high school for a “bridge year, which would have given the recently formed Saint Dominic Regional High School board of directors more time to create a plan for taking over the Auburn school.
At the ceremony Friday night, school Superintendent Shelly Wheeler, also a mother of a 2025 graduate, mused over the uncertain fate of the school and advised her peers to not give up hope.
“We don’t yet know what the future holds for St. Dom’s,” she said. “But we do know this: God’s hand is in its legacy. This is the final graduating class of St. Dominic Academy but also a turning point in a new chapter as St. Dominic Regional High School begins to plan for the future.
“You are all part of something eternal,” Wheeler said. “You are part of a mission that began long before us and will continue long after. And no matter what the world says, we can hold onto this promise: God will not abandon us. His plans will be fulfilled. And God will not abandon you.”
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