LINK Graduation 2010.pdf - Portland High School

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! 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
Page 1 and 2: LINK PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL FAMILY NE
Page 3: Class President’s Welcome Emma Wi
Page 7 and 8: “Emerging from the Breeze” Salu
Page 9 and 10: Meron Admassu Corey Carmichael Soph
Page 11 and 12: Josh Staples Michee Jean, Mary Dona
Page 13 and 14: Mistress of Ceremonies A.P. Kim Wik
Page 15 and 16: “ I will always remember the vibr
Page 17 and 18: HENRY MACVANE volunteers with the L

LINK Graduation 2010.pdf - Portland High School

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