SALEM TOWNSHIP – At the foot of Mt. Abram, 41 seniors graduated from Mount Abram Regional High School. The ceremony was held outdoors on the soccer field and began at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 11.
Many of the seniors received scholarships from 91 individual, local, community, state, college and university grants. The scholarships awarded this year totaled $300,039.
Five grants from two new scholarships, the Michaela M. Morgan Memorial Scholarship and the Thomas Deckard-Madore Memorial Scholarship, were awarded.
Of the 41 graduates, 27 are planning to attend post-secondary schools, 11 are joining the workforce, and three will be proudly serving in the United States Military.
MTA Principal Michelle Tranten left the class with the following words: “Be proud of who you are. Go into the world and do good. Remember where you came from. Forge your path. Remain ethical. Be compassionate. Help others. Love deeply. Smile at everyone you meet. Be humble. Make many memories. Be kind. Treat others with respect always. Be respectful to yourself. And remember to travel the road less traveled.”
Tranten presented each student with their diploma, then they were congratulated by Assistant Principal Kristina Stevens and Superintendent Todd Sanders. The senior advisers, John Chase, Francois Moretto, and Josh Carey gave each of their advises a white carnation; Senior Class Coordinator Joanne Nickerson filled in for Thomas Fiske, who was away for Marine Reserve training.
Valedictorian Benjamin DeBiase and Salutatorian Camryn Wahl spoke to their fellow graduates.
“Going to a small school has its highs and lows like any other situation. While some focus on the negatives, many appreciate the positives; having life-changing connections with teachers, growing friendships, coming together, and representing our school. The connections I have made and strengthened through these four years will never be forgotten,” Wahl said. “Mt. Abram High School will forever hold many memories, and the memories I created with my friends will be what I will remember most. Lastly, I want to say a classic “good luck” to my fellow classmates and as they pursue their next adventures.”
“Ever since I saw my sister give her salutatorian speech at her graduation when I was in eighth grade, I always thought about a moment like this,” DeBiase said. “I thought, man it would be cool to get salutatorian or valedictorian and speak at my graduation. But then I thought, I don’t know if I really want to do that. I don’t really like speaking in front of people, I don’t have much experience in writing speeches, and I thought to myself, well, I’m definitely not as smart as my sister, so I’d probably mess it up, but here I am.
“This entire class of 2021, as the teachers can attest to, is a pretty diverse one. We have some athletes, some artists, some kids that probably care more about their trucks than anything else in the world, some gym rats, and one kid that broke like two or three lights in the gym. But no matter what we are, or what separates us, we’re graduates now. We’re all sitting here, decked out in our graduation gear, wondering what happens next. Well, one thing I can say for sure is that we’ll all be pretty well prepared if another pandemic hits, but another thing we’re all now well prepared for is the future. As a tight-knit community, Mount Abram gave us support when we needed it, but also gave us the tools to learn on our own. And as of today, on our own is exactly what we are.
“Well, kind of. There are actually a couple of things that are holding us back from being really on our own. Those two things are friends and family. Our families, who supported us throughout all of our years of schooling and beyond, and the friends we’ve made, will stick with us forever. We’re in good hands, and the connections we’ve made, aren’t ones that’ll be lost. I think we’re all going to do just fine. We only do burnouts and break gym lights once in a while after all.”
DeBiase concluded his speech by saying, “What we do tomorrow is impacted by what we learned yesterday. We’re all moving on to new things, and we’re all presented with new opportunities. Don’t find yourself forgetting what you learned yesterday, and take advantage of what comes next.
