York Town News
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York High School's Class of 2006
By Jennifer L. Saunders
York High School Class of 2006 Co-Valedictorian Michelle Carson smiles at her classmates and friends as she shares her valedictory address at this year's graduation ceremony, held on Thursday evening, June 15, on the football field.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
It was Thursday, June 15 - the evening of Commencement for the York High School Class of 2006.
And if you asked the members of that class to sum it up, they were quick to say it was a day they would never forget.
That, however, was only one sentiment expressed when this impressive class's two valedictorians took their turns addressing their peers, teachers, administrators, family members and friends from the podium overlooking the throngs gathered to witness the event on the York High School football field.
Michelle Carson and Brendon Boston shared the coveted honor of the top spot in the Class of 2006, leading a class filled with young adults who - to read their biographies as Commencement Scholars or to listen to their parents, peers or teachers speak - will be remembered as exemplary scholars, musicians, performers, artists, athletes, scientists, individuals.
Carson was the first of this year's two valedictorians to take the stage, speaking before the scholarship awards began - a time filled with emotion when, in many cases, members of the York community climbed the steps to the stage to honor these graduates in memory of loved ones they have lost.
That sense of community was one sentiment Carson shared in her valedictory address.
"As I got to thinking about how I would make it through these few minutes, I realized something. I'm not speaking to the public," she said, "I'm talking to my classmates and good friends. You aren't strangers to me. In fact, each one of you has somehow impacted my life just as you have impacted the lives of one another."
Carson shared a story of one embarrassing moment with a less-than-cooperative locker to illustrate the shared experiences of high school students - and of friends who are willing to look the other way.
"The friends that you've made here in York are the people who will allow you to forget the bad or embarrassing times, but who will remind you about all of the good ones," she said. "… These past four years and the memories that have been formed are what will guide us in the future. Each of us is taking away pieces of one another. … These past few months our class seems to really have found its voice, and I think it's safe to say that the class of 2006 will never be forgotten. The confidence that you all bring to each other is what is going to make this class and our generation a force to be reckoned with. Never forget the people here and what they have done for you, whether it seems big or small. After all, who we are is a product of the people around us, and we will always carry pieces of one another with us."
Following the presentation of awards by Principal Bob Stevens and many members of the community, it was Boston's turn to address the crowd.
Boston recounted some of the famous "characters" he and his fellow classmates have encountered in their years at York High School and, like Carson, he spoke of the importance of a community of friends and loved ones.
"Congratulations to everyone gathered here today. Friends, family, mentors, teachers, administrators and parents, you have all been a crucial and fundamental element to our success," he said, "and there is absolutely no way each and every one of us could be here today without your input, support, and influence on our lives."
Boston used his sense of humor to illustrate the different emotions he and his peers were feeling on that Thursday evening of their graduation.
"For some of us, it seemed like this day would never come, and for others, it seemed like it came way too fast," he said. "Some of our high school memories we will have trouble remembering, but most we will never forget."
And some, he pointed out, could be laughed about now - like serving Saturday detention for what he described as "some obscure tardy rule" with college or careers looming on the horizon.
Whatever the next step, Boston said, York High School will always be home.
"Our class is extremely unique, and we will all explore our own individual pathways through life," he said. "… None of our courses through life are prewritten. We have the ability to mold and form what is to come, but it may not be easy. If we leave today in fear of the future, then it will conquer us, and we will simply go through the motions of living. However, if we leave determined, inspired and eager to welcome the future, we will conquer it, and our lives will be rewarded with achievement and success."
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Scipione and School Committee Chairwoman Patty Hymanson were among the hundreds who attended the event to wish the graduates success in whatever future path they may choose.
Scipione praised the graduates for their accomplishments, telling them that while graduation marks the end of high school, it is also a beginning - thus the name "Commencement" for the ceremony.
"You will be greeted not as students from our school, but as citizens of our world," he said, with all the demands, responsibilities and privileges that go along with that title.
Hymanson told the Class of 2006 the entire York community is sharing in their celebration.
"There is a community pride in growing a generation of citizens," she said, urging the graduates to carry York's beauty with them as they begin a new chapter.
However, she added, the world they were about to enter as they departed from York High School is more complex than the one faced by their parents. She urged them to learn about other cultures, to travel and to "understand our complex world before you act. … You'll make the world a safer place."
To listen to the valedictorians, and to see the expressions on the faces of their peers, that was exactly what they planned to do.
As Boston put it, "Today we stand on the threshold of opportunity, our future eagerly awaiting us. All of our work and effort is about to pay off. As we have learned here, we must take advantage of these opportunities as they arise, because if we don't we may lose our grasp on them. … Let us go forth into the world and live our lives with fulfillment, prosperity, and most importantly happiness. Thank you to everyone who shaped us into the people we are. Thanks to you, tonight's graduates are ready to conquer personal endeavors and achieve every goal set for ourselves in the unexplored future."
And now presenting, the York High School Class of 2006: Co-valedictorians Brendon Boston and Michelle Carson; Commencement Scholars Abigail Boone, Abigail Bowers, Colleen Farrell, Christopher Mace, George Mason, Jason Means, Christopher Rhodes, Lindsay Robinson, Stephanie Saltzman, Emily Silin, Ashley Smith, Miriam Stevens and Karin Sweeney; Honor Graduates Kayleigh Barrett, Elizabeth Barton, Hailey Blackburn, Lauren Blackburn, Ryan Brown, Cassandra Chase, Jeremy Kyle Chunn, Matthew Ciampa, Colleen Clark, Sean Collins, Cristal Currier, Thomas DeVirgilio, Jessica Dunfey, Meredith Forrest, Meagan Gavin, Kirsten Glidden, Casey Hoatson, Kellie Lajoie, Jeffrey Langenheim, Nicole LaPointe, Virginia Lee, Nikita Lottasen, Ashley Mace, Benjamin Mace, Sarah Mann, Christopher Marshall, Andrew McKenna, Sean Morrison, Thomas Munz, Christine Newton, Haley Olson, Melanie Peard, James Quinn, Samuel Ramus, Andrew Rapier, Maura Roche, Timothy Roy, Lucy Sargent, David Shaw, Lauren Trigge, Matty Truax, Haley Woods and Gabriel Zinck; Graduates Jordan Alessi, Fairlee Anderson, Christian Berger, Amy Blaisdell, Lindsay Bullard, Christopher Carpenter, Elizabeth Carrico, Aaron Chase, Charlene Ciampa, Brandon Clithero, Renee Connearney, Brandon Cross, Casey Crowell, Ryan Daly, Jade Damboise-Taplin, Jill Davis, Francesca DeSario, Edward Donnell, John Downs, Carl Ekholm, Emily Ellis, Kayla Emmons, Evan Englehart, Edward Fasani, Kristina Faskianos, Aaron Flynn, Candra Glenn, Zachary Glidden, Nathaniel Green, Liana Grieg, Nicholas Grover, Jennifer Hanley, Matthew Hosmer, Samuel Hughes, Brandon Hume, Sean Hynes, James Joyce, Jonathan King, Cori Kippin, Nicole Klein, Christopher Knox, Daniel Lang, Emily Langille, Amy Lewis, Zachary Libby, Nathan Lord-Raynor, Stephanie Lucas, Harrison Lusty, Daniel MacGlashing, Kathleen McKenna, Ryan McNally, Devon Meagher, Joshua Moulton, Craig Murdough, Lauren Murtha, Charles Naimie, Amber Palhof, Mikayla Parsons, Jenna Rada, Spencer Randall, Jacob Remignani, Ned Roche, Gerald Rose, Krislyn Rousseau, Carie Rovnak, Haley Saurman, Branden Sebastyanski, Kelly Skanes, Jessica Sleeper, Jennifer Spear, Ian Stahura, Brian Stockless, Brian Taranto, Douglas Towers, Rebecca Wade, Crystal Weyers, Daniel Whittle, Handy Wijaya, Ryan Willette, April Womble, Robert Wright and Kimberly Young.
