LINK Graduation 2010.pdf - Portland High School

LINK
PORTLAND
HIGH SCHOOL
FAMILY
NEWSLETTER
Dear Portland High School Friends and Families,
No other school honors their graduates in the
special and inspired manner as does Portland High. The
tradition, pageantry, and reverence of the graduation
exercises are an essential part of P.H.S. This year's
seniors are a special class having distinguished
themselves in multiple arenas, including academically,
socially, and athletically. The senior gift (pictured
below), now displayed over the main office entrance, is
more than a sign; it is a special sign of the seniors' love
and respect for their Alma Mater. It is a true “guardian
tender”. Those of us who taught them as freshmen
remember their first days in our classes, as we are sure
they will always remember their first time stepping
through the hallowed oak doors on Cumberland Avenue
in the footsteps of such distinguished graduates as John
Ford and Admiral Peary. Teachers of seniors most
certainly will recall the enthusiasm and vitality of this
class. The community forever will hold dear the images
from graduation and the manner in which the seniors
comported themselves. In the words of Superintendent
Morse ('73), “PHS is now part of you and you are part
of it.”
Congratulations, Class of 2010,
June 2010
Special Graduation Edition
The Portland High School faculty and staff.
The LINK is
written and
produced each
month by PHS
faculty
members
Michelle Tucci
and
Phil Thibault
P.H.S. Class of 2010

Pat Curran, Kelsey Conicelli
Jason Strauss
An impromptu senior cook-out in Freshman Alley...
(May 20, 2010)
Sophia Nappi
Mrs. Tucci joined us!
Brianna Wayne
Jason Knight, Lauren McDougal
Logan Harkins
Kelsey Conicelli
Kevin Nielson, Maggie Kilbride
Nancy McAdam, Emma Wilson
"It's awesome finishing up and
Mrs. Harkins
getting ready for summer, but
leaving people I know is sad."
Henry Cole.
Adam Gould
Corey Carmichael, Laurence Bondole
Vesna Glisic
Vesna Glisic
Adam Gould
Tim Weber, Leanne Fasulo
2

Class President’s Welcome
Emma Wilson
Graduation, June 2, 2010
Welcome families and friends to the class of 2010, and soon-to-be graduates. It is my honor to
present my classmates before you today. I have enjoyed the company of many of you during my four
years at Portland High, and I am extremely proud of each of you today. To pay tribute to our vibrant
and diverse class, I would like to highlight what I believe is our defining attribute- our unflagging vitality.
Perhaps I am putting an overly positive spin on our somewhat rambunctious nature – but our lively class
has, without question, brought a great spark of enthusiasm to both our community and the halls of
Portland High School.
This school bursts with vitality and has provided our class with endless opportunity- for freedom,
academic excellence, and great companionship – allowing us to achieve both personal and academic
successes.
We have also, I submit, seized most opportunities to have fun. Our class is famous for our ability
to make any occasion more light-hearted. We transformed a formerly dull fifteen minute homeroom
period into a frenzy of activity- a time when seniors played music, caught up with friends, and brake
danced. We have embraced all spirit week has to offer, from cross-dressing to confetti – throwing to
storming the halls.
But life in the class of 2010 has been much more than just festivities. The talent I find most
remarkable in my peers is their ability to apply their unflagging vitality to more serious pursuits. The
many accomplishments of the scholars , athletes, artists, and musicians of our class have not been
achieved by talent alone – they are the results of thousands of hours of determined effort. Man
of my class mates work full time jobs – to support themselves or their families. With great determination
my athletic peers have spearheaded the Boy's Lacrosse and Girl's Tennis teams to flawless seasons and
turned the Bulldogs recent football record around. WE have fought for what we believe in- from those of
us who have stood by our friends
in trouble to those of us who labored earnestly on political
campaigns and community service projects. After nights
spent working on college applications until 2 in the
morning, the driven group of young men and women
behind me have been accepted to scores of schools
across the country.
A large segment of our class is made up of students
who have been, various times, new to our city, new to
our country, and even new to english - - as have so
many PHS graduating classes over the last 150 years. I
have been inspired by their example. We need to
recognize here today the determination of these
classmates, which has brought them past extraordinary
and profound challenges to this stage today.
Some would say our class is overly
confident in our abilities. After, all we have selected R.
Kelly's “World”s Greatest” to be our graduation song.
As we step into the real world, “World's Greatest”
will not be on on our resume. But I am certain that the
confidence we have forged as a group will be
invaluable as we go forth on our varied pathways. I
Class president, Emma Wilson
3

!
The prestigious Brown Medals have a long
and storied history at PHS. First awarded at the 1865
graduation, the medals commemorate the James O. Brown, the
son of the one of the wealthiest Portland residents at the time, John B. Brown. James, a member of
the Portland School Committee at the time, had unexpectedly died the previous year at age 28. The
Portland High Alumni directory explains, " For the first 11 years, medals were given to the three highest
ranking girls and the three highest ranking boys. For the next decade, eight medals were awarded, and
since 1886, 10 medals have been presented" (p. vii) to the five top ranking boys and the five top ranking
girls.
Brown Medals
2010
Timothy D. Weber
Corey Connolly Carmichael
Simon McCain Thompson
Marianne Anderson
Scott R. Briggs
Vesna Glisic
Patrick Curran
Emma Sleight Wilson
Cole Hutchison
Molly Monaghan
Brown Medals on display on the stage of the Merrill
Tim Weber
After the Senior Class picture, students disperse!
Emma Wilson
Corey Carmichael
“My graduating class had more than 560
students, so many that we all couldn't fit
on stage. According to school historian,
Peter Gribbon, it was the largest
graduating class in PHS history. It was
so hot and the graduation lasted for over
three hours. After graduation, there was the banquet and prom. There was no time to
spend with your family.”
Toni Slkillings ('67)
4

“Success”
Valedictorian Speech by Corey Carmichael
Graduation, June 2, 2010
Take a moment and think about how you define success. Maybe it’s balancing school and fatherhood
or becoming rich enough to own an island. Maybe it’s finding your passion in medicine and curing sick
patients. Maybe it’s beating the elite four Pokémon, or simply being happy. Or perhaps it’s becoming a
firefighting, sandworm digging, scuba diving substitute teacher like Mr. Keefe. What your definition of
success may be, it’s right for you. So, instead of using this speech to make a metaphor about Portland
high school being a Tic Taco Burrito or to put in a formal request for a Nap Room at Portland High (Think
about it Mr. Johnson), I’d like to use this opportunity to recognize the different success my peers have
achieved.
On this stage today, there are hundreds of success stories that are not recognized in the newspaper or
by induction into the National Honors Society. The story of the girl who is breaking through gender and
racial stereotypes, enduring the burning of stares of strangers, and kick-flipping her way to happiness. The
story of the young man who has run a plowing business since the 6 th grade, works more than 40 hours a
week, and is often mistaken for a janitor, and does the best Mr. Nappi impression I have ever seen. Then
there is the girl who came to America a mere three years ago and is already in Honors and AP courses.
The students who have faced the terrible loss of a loved one; the students that have had to grow up fast in
order to take care of themselves and their families. These are the success stories we should be telling.
On October 28, 2008, a student graduating today arrived in America. After being torn from his home
in times of civil war, he had arrived in Portland, Maine with plans to become a chemical engineer in order
to help the people back in his home country. A year and a half after she stepped off that plane, this
student was accepted to Colby College with nearly a full scholarship.
There are students sitting on this stage who have had to face types of adversity that I can’t even imagine.
Some have had to integrate into a new culture and learn a new language while their parents struggle to
find work because of the language barrier. Others live on their own, pay their own electric bills, and cook
for themselves. We have deaf students, students who face other challenges. But they haven’t allowed it to
slow them for a second. These students show us that success should not simply be measured in test results
and goals scored, but the journey it took to get to that point.
An outsider looking at the record of the PHS Field Hockey team this season (a whopping 1and 13)
would likely conclude that our season was unsuccessful. However, I beg to differ. When I think of all the
laughs we had as a team, the camaraderie, the fabulous warm-up mix, and the unquestionable
improvement from the first game to the last, our losing record easily
overshadowed by the more important aspects of the season, the
types of success that numbers just can’t reflect.
Every person graduating here today has a success story. We
may not all be state champions or top ten in the class, but that
doesn’t make any of our stories less important. So when you’re
measuring your own success, don’t get caught up trying to reach
other people’s goals or trying to be what society wants you to be.
We are the authors of our own stories and the only ones who
decide if it’s going to be a comedy, a tragedy, or a political
biography. No matter what genre you choose, don’t let anyone
tell you it’s not good enough. Just like the Portland high School
Class of 2010, success comes in, any colors, sizes, languages
and styles. In the words of the great Dr. Seuss, “You have brains
in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself
in a direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know
what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go. “
Corey Carmichael
5

Emily Wark
P.H.S. Prom ...
(May 29, 2010)
Mattie Crocket, Marie Genova, Eileen Hanley
"Life is about memories and that is what
I've gained at PHS." Ted Volger
Gordon Parker
"Finding the right prom look has
been challenging. I really want to
standout at prom with my dress.
It's the one time we get to dress
up together." Emma Wilson
Francie Foehrenbach (T.A.)
Adam Gould
Courtney Connolly
Kendra Eggen
Larissa Moody
“I am struck by how important
the PHS traditions around
graduation still are and how
essential upholding these
traditions has been to each
graduate and each officiating
administrator. They all willingly
embrace this legacy. I still live
these traditions every year when
I help the new graduating class
learn the ropes. It is a special
time.” --Joe Russo ('75)
6

“Emerging from the Breeze”
Salutatorian Speech by Timothy D. Weber
Graduation, June 2, 2010
We gather here today to acknowledge the end of a certain part of our lives. High school has
been a defining four years, complete with stressful last-minute papers, athletic victories, stupid
mistakes, new friends, and many other life-changing moments. Today we face a transition unlike any
that we have experienced. We are confronted with the inescapable transformation into official
adulthood. We leave behind, but never out of memory a school, “old in story, shrined in glory”. A
helpful faculty, full of compassion and understanding. And a community woven tight by pride and
respect. Portland High School is truly an extraordinary place.
After we receive our diplomas, we will be sent into a world where jobs are scarce, where
outsourcing is rampant, and where profits are valued over wellness. The dark sky and chilling winds
of a numb economy have descended, but we have not yet been out to feel the storm. We graduate
facing a raging gale.
I will borrow a term from sailing: tacking is when a sailor directs their vessel up towards the
direction of the breeze, continuing the turn until the previously shielded side of the sail is filled with
the wind. Tacking is essential to sailing because it allows boats to travel upwind.
Rather than idle against an immovable breeze, letting the wind drift us backwards, we should
consider graduation as an opportunity to tack. We should consider it not as a finish, but a change in
direction, along the zigzagged, complicated path towards personal fulfillment.
And in that pivotal moment when we face down the treacherous current, we must carry on
boldly, intrepid sailors in uncharted waters. Next year, we will have the ability to change ourselves
completely. While there are many poor tacks one could take, there are just as many favorable
choices to make. Try something new. Give back to the community. Or perhaps just work harder. The
possibility to redefine oneself is there, though only available to those willing to brave the gale to
perform a tack.
We must not condemn our vessels to inactivity. We cannot close our minds to change. Tack
often. Doing unique, different, or unfamiliar things will exercise the mind and promote new ways of
thinking about the world. Experiencing new stimuli will make is smarter, more energetic, more
versatile, and more sociable.
As our fleet of 2010 leaves the safe harbor of high school, and enters the wide ocean, our
collective tacks will steer the course of society. We will adjust the bearing from route old and
obsolete, to a new path of innovation and creativity. Our imaginations will fill our sail along the
journeys. We are a class whose ambitions are unsurpassed,
whose energy is surging, and whose sense of pride is
unyielding. As graduates, we will contribute to a new
generation of American ingenuity.
I will conclude with a bit of advice from the celebrated
American author and humorist, Mark Twain. In his youth, Twain
worked as a printer’s apprentice, steamboat operator, and
journalist, all while educating himself in local libraries. He
wrote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch
the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Congratulations Class of Two-Thousand Ten!
Tim Weber
7

Marching Practice...
May 24-27, 2010
This practice started with filling out forms!
Lydia Bakunda
Ashley Quigley
Ilhan Hilowle
Liza Iselborn
"I will miss all the
teachers who
helped me succeed.
I am looking forward to helping people in need
when I become an EMT."
Derrick Floridino
Holly Whitney
Derrick Floridino & Sophie Payson
Ben Reeder
Ayan Jama
8

Meron Admassu
Corey Carmichael
Sophia Nappi
yet another rehearsal
Tim Weber
Sr. class advisor Mrs. Harkins watches
Tim Weber, Ben Reeder, Max Dismore, Leanne Fasulo
Chorus director teaching class songs
Mr. Denis Drobinski
instruction to the Senior class
The view from the Merrill stage
Principal Johnson provides last-minute
9

Senior Breakfast
7:30 A.M--Lower Cafe--May 27, 2010
Breakfast for the Seniors is--a PHS tradition
Simon Thompson, Nancy McAdam,
Cafeteria Ladies prepare
THANK YOU!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!
"I will
always
remember the
great friends
I have made.
I plan on
following my
calling to
become a
lawyer, a
calling I have
had since my
Uncle Joey
used to call
me his "little
lawyer."
Brianna Wayne
Ian Kuniholm
Leanne Fasulo, Tim Weber
10

Josh Staples
Michee Jean, Mary Donato, Jonie Bongomin Kenny Chiu
Mrs. Sue Olafsen
Nancy McAdam
"Senior finals are
a bit stressful to
do all this work.
I've really had to
stay focused to
get everything
done." Billy
Murdock
Kimara Nzamubona
Andrew Capelutti
Eileen Hanley Leanne Fasulo
Quoc Dang
11

Ian Kuniholm
Senior
Farewell
Assembly
May 28, 2010
Hawo Omar
Portland High School Class of 2010 Vesna Glisic
PHS Seniors
march down Cumberland Avenue
Amadeus Florendo says farewell to PHS
12

Mistress of Ceremonies A.P. Kim Wike watches
the Seniors march in for Senior Farewell
Class president Emma Wilson
As coach of the very
successful PHS Girls
Tennis Team, and mother of
senior Mary Moran (the
youngest of our six children,
four of whom attended
PHS), I am full of emotion
as this school year comes
to an end. Seniors Mary
Moran, Liza Iselborn, Corey
Carmichael, Lauren
MacDougal, Emma Wilson,
Marianne Anderson, and Vesna
Glisic are the ones who got me into coaching
and it has been a joy as well as a challenge.
They are an incredibly talented and delightful
group, remarkable in so many ways--smart (so
smart!), funny, athletic, caring, hardworking,
confident, determined, lovable. I will miss
them more than I can express, and I wish
them every good thing life has to offer. They
represent the best of PHS!
Bonnie Moran
Rothana Sambath breaks loose
13
Seniors march out of the gym

Merrill Auditorium seats wait for graduates
Portland High School
Graduation Ceremony
Merrill Auditorium
City Hall
June 2, 2010 at 10:30 A.M.
Ms. Erika Lee-Winship
Mrs. Carol Tomshick
Ms. Kim Wike
Diplomas are awarded
Kristen Byrnes
Ted Volger
Joe Zukowski
"Graduation 2010 at
the Merrill was
outstanding! The
songs were
uplifting
and the ceremony
flowed nicely." -
Julie Staples
14
Yuri Shepard-Kegl

“ I will always remember the vibration
from the organ made my pant legs
shake while we were marching. When
I turned to face the crowd, there
was nothing but a sea of camera
flashes. I'll never forget it. What a
great day!” Dan Deniso ('79)
Senior Executive Board
Singing the BLUE AND WHITE
Adam Gould, Carlos Ayala, Ted Volger
Sean Dowling and Henry Cole
Abdullahi Hassan
Kaori Hamilton-London
15
Saad Mohamed

Superintendent’s Remarks
Dr. James D. Morse
Graduation, June 2, 2010
Dr. James D. Morse
The first stanza states:
Class of 2010, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you.
Thirty-seven years ago I sat were you're sitting now, 18 years old,
graduating form Portland High School. I left Portland right after
graduation, not to live in the city again for 36 years.
I tried to remember who spoke at my graduation...nothing; I tried
hard to remember about my graduation...and I have only two
strong memories, Merrill, being lost in its majesty. I have spoken
all over Maine and I now know there are few places you will
stand in your life that has more presence than this room.
Another memory was our 1973 class song.
Last week I walked in on your class rehearsal when you were
singing your class song. In 1973, the class song was In My Life by
the Beatles. I am glad I got to sing this song with my class. It was
not one of the Beatles' most popular songs; it’s about memories
and it is about love. There is sadness in it of loss, and, at the
same time, a celebration of love.
“There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain”
We know you will experience change noted in this stanza, and, yet, somehow things will remain the same. The
neighborhoods I grew up in at the base of Munjoy Hill and on Oxford Street have been leveled. Sometimes change is
unnerving. My old apartment, just one block away, is now a parking lot.
I found myself driving the wrong way on a one-way street, wondering why everyone was going in the opposite
direction?! Sometimes in the last 36 years, while I was gone, the direction of the road was reversed.
But still, even though my childhood neighborhoods are gone, Portland is a far safer, cleaner, and a more beautiful city
today than it was in my childhood. It is a multi-cultural city, a gateway to the world, a city of many languages, a city
where world cultures meet and yet, a city where local neighborhoods and local interests still exist.
The Beatles continue
“All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all!”
You will experience loss. We all do. As I've run into old friends they've shared with me the early passing of
classmates. But even as some have passed, they live in my memories. You will choose new paths, make new friends,
and, yet, those friendships from high school will linger as distant, yet fond memories of your youth.
The Beatles yet again,
“But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new”
In many ways your lives are predictable. It doesn't take a crystal ball to know you will experience love. Most of
you will have children, one of life's many treasures, (even though at times your parents have questioned whether you
are a treasure) and you will learn that love is not selfish, that love is giving. Here are but a few examples of graduates
in your class who have learned that love is about giving.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
16

HENRY MACVANE volunteers with the Long Island Fire and Rescue Department as an emergency medical
technician. He recently received an American Red Cross Real Hero Award for saving the life of a young boy who
was drowning. In his free time, he plays rugby for the Portland Power Pigs. His teachers describe him as a
hardworking student who challenges himself academically and an overall “great kid”. In the fall, he will study
chemical engineering at the University of Maine.
PAT CURRAN has played on Portland High's football and lacrosse teams despite living with type 1 diabetes. This
year, he served as captain of the lacrosse team. He is an honor roll student who has taken Advanced Placement and
honors classes. He is involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters program and serves on the Senior Executive Board. He
raised about $23, 000 over four years for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation through his involvement with
their fundraising walk. He will attend Bentley University next year.
KIMARA NZAMUBONA , originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, came to Portland High School in
the fall of 2008. He fled his home country after the Gatumba Massacre of 2004 that killed some of his relatives,
and he spent four years at a refugee camp in Burundi. At Portland High, he was involved in activities such as the
Outdoor Adventure Club, French Club, and soccer. The general manager of a local enginnering firm mentored him
and helped him pursue his interest in an engineering career. He has received a full, four-year scholarship to Colby
College.
YURI SHEPARD-KEGL is a graduate of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf program at Portland High. She
came to the United States four years ago from Nicaragua. In that country, the only schooling available for deaf
students was a summer school prigram run by volunteers, and Yuri used a different sign language than is used in the
United States. Portland High provided both a hearing American Sign Language interpreter and a Certified Deaf
Interpreter. Yuri stayed after school two days a week for tutoring help. She also pursued her interest in art at
Portland Arts and Technology High School. Deborah Howard, a teacher of the deaf at Governor Baxter School
and Portland High, said of Yuri, “When I look back four years and look at her now, the growth in her is amazing.
She now is a confident, independent young woman.”
COURTNEY CONNOLLY, KENDRA EGGEN, AND ASHLEY QUIGLEY went to the Dominican Republic to help build
a hospital. They saw poverty, they felt others' need, and they stood proud as young Maine women helping others.
The Beatles once again,
“Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more.”
Dr. James D. Morse
You are the sum total of your life experiences.
You will think of Portland High as you age. PHS
is now part of you and you are part of it.
Portland High School is the second oldest
continuously running high school in the country.
You are now part of its history. When some
historian looks into the graduating class of
2010, your name will be there, just as mine is
for 1973. Your name has been added to the
list of graduating seniors. Know that the
teachers and staff, your parents too, send you
into your world, the one you've yet to
conquer, proud that you are a Portland High
School graduate!
As Portland High teacher Beth Arsenault
says, “Life is about possibilities, not
probabilities.”
The Beatles' song says it all, “There
are places I remember all my life...”
Congratulations, Class of 2010.
Portland High School--2010
17

PHS bids farewell to veteran staff.
PHS athletes say good-bye to
Thanks to all of the wonderful
people at Portland High School who
supported, guided, and inspired
Patrick on his 4-year journey as a
Bulldog! Jana and Bob Curran
Cluster I Coordinator
Athletic Director Mr. Rich Drummond
“I will always remember being a part
of PHS and this school with all the
great teachers.” Carmine Rumo ('69)
Cluster III Coordinator
Mrs. Maryann Pendleton, English
Mrs. Pat Kramer, Mathmatics
“We fit 508 kids on stage at one
time with no problem. I often
think about how things have
changed through the years. I
graduated with a number of
students who became PHS
teachers, including Toni Skillings,
Harry Brown, and Stephanie
Trainor.” Carol Nappi ('67)
18