Mascenic Class of 2023 graduates 50 students

Fifty graduates crossed the stage Friday evening as Mascenic Regional High School graduated the Class of 2023.

Graduates spoke of how the time together had shaped them, and the vast opportunities that lay ahead. As class Vice President Caitlyn LeVangie welcomed her class and their families to the ceremony, she acknowledged the bittersweet nature of the event.

“Tonight is very special, because as we stand here waiting to receive our diplomas and set off to achieve our goals, every single one of us represents all the dedication, time and hard work it took to get here,” LeVangie said. “I expect to see lots of tears tonight: parents, teachers, graduates and maybe even from myself. But though it’s always sad when things come to an end, tonight marks a new beginning for all of us.”

Class representatives Lynsey Geanuracos and Tatiana Hernandez spoke on behalf of the class when presenting the senior class gifts, which included 30 new music stands for the music room and a new Viking mascot costume for use during games and pep rallies.

In addition to collecting their diplomas, the class also participated in the annual tradition of giving thanks to their friends and families by presenting them with carnations before walking the stage.

Like many graduates, valedictorian Brielle Shippee chose an inspirational figure to quote in her speech. Unlike many graduates, that figure was Lightning McQueen, the anthropomorphic race car protagonist of the Disney-Pixar film “Cars.”

“This grumpy old race car once told me: ‘It’s just an empty cup,’ ” Shippee quoted, referencing the winning cup at the climax of the big race of the film, and what had been, until that point, McQueen’s main goal. “The material proof of our achievements don’t define us. While the ending might be a metaphorical empty cup, it’s the things we experience, the people we meet, the things we love and the challenges we meet along the way that will fill that cup, until it is overflowing with the highs and the lows of our lives. It is these experiences who will make you who you are, now and forever.”

Shippee advised her classmates to embrace the bittersweet feeling of graduating, and to prepare for a lifetime of ups and downs – and encouraged them to find joy in both.

“There is beauty in both the mountaintops and the valleys we will wander through, and I hope that we all learn to see the good, even in the hard times,” Shippee said.

Class President Casey Brox also touched on the highs and lows of life, particularly in his own personal story. He had trouble making friends in his early school life, he said, and that struggle continued through middle school, as he told the story in third person.

“Eventually, he came to the realization that this was not how he wanted to continue,” Brox said. “Freshman year was the promise of a new start. Sadly, COVID had other plans.”

Brox praised his classmates for persevering through the struggles of the pandemic.

“We fought through the global pandemic, fought through dual learning and online education. Fought through social distancing and being forced to wear masks. Fear not, for in 12 years’ worth of pain and turmoil, of struggle and strife, we had to endure are finally over,” Brox said.

Brox spoke of persevering through social distancing and distance learning, of trying to open up, of bringing doughnuts to his classmates and eventually deciding to don a suit and tie, submit a speech and run for class president.

Salutatorian Jeremiah Barthelmess asked his classmates to follow that example, in looking for and taking new opportunities as they came to them. Now is a moment that, more than any other, offered them up, he said.

“Many doors will be open to you, with opportunities looking around every corner. And I ask nothing, but that you look into these opportunities. When I was thinking about what I should write for this speech, the first word that came to me was ‘opportunity.’ Why did that come to me? Because all graduates alike have a chance for an opportunity,” Barthelmess said.

Barthelmess said that each of those doors, no matter where they led, had the chance for growth.

“We now find ourselves at a crossroads, here as we graduate today. Each one of us will choose a new direction,” Barthelmess said. “Do not be concerned about the destination; focus on the journey and how you live. Don’t get caught up in the missed opportunities, but look forward to those to come.”

Shippee said her goodbyes to her class, acknowledging that for some, it might be a last goodbye.

“People will tell you all the time, it’ll go by fast. I’m guessing many of us didn’t believe them, until right now. I’m certainly guilty of it. For a lot of us, this marks the end of 12 years spent in our tiny town,” Shippee said. “I know for many of us, graduation is one of the stops on the journey where we can’t tell if we’re happy or sad. I’ve found that a mix of the two feels right, seeing that for every bitter goodbye we say, a hopeful hello waits for us.”

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.