Eighty-eight Conant High School seniors will always remember walking across the stage at Franklin Pierce University’s field house on Friday for their high school graduation.
Still, the night’s most unforgettable moment came minutes earlier, when Vice Principal Richard Simoneau announced the seven graduates who are bound for the armed forces. The audience responded by giving Army enlistees Brett Champney, Javan Goddard, Garrett Maki and Cordell Wright and Marines enlistees David Collum, Kyle Dupuis and Tobias Dupluis (who are cousins) a standing ovation that lasted well over a minute.
The moving moment happened after student speakers talked about trips to other countries and the careers they plan to pursue. Guest speaker Franklin Pierce University President Andrew Card spoke of being White House Chief of Staff on September 11, 2001. Valedictorian Shannon Bennett advocated environmentalism.
The commencement demonstrated that for those 88 teens, graduation is about more than report cards and diplomas.
“In the blink of an eye, all of the experiences we had at Conant High School will just be memories,” class president Katherine Belletete said in her speech.
Other student speakers included Belletete’s fellow class officers, who thanked teachers and even gave gifts to their advisors, and academic honorees Bennett and salutatorian Lindsey Coolidge.
Coolidge is pursuing a future career in translation because of the foreign language teachers who inspired her at Conant, and she thanked the people she met for welcoming her so warmly four years ago.
“The Conant community has left a mark on me,” she said. “For that, I will be forever grateful.”
Belletete summarized the feelings of her class with the end of her speach.
“Many of us thought this day would never come,” she said. “Best of luck, Conant class of 2016. I love you all.”
Brandon Latham can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 228 or blatham@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @blathamMLT.