Excited, thrilled and nervous: Kennebunk High School graduates step into the future

Shawn P. Sullivan, Portsmouth Herald
·6 min read

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Moments before he and his fellow classmates were set to march into the school’s gymnasium to get their diplomas, Matt Durcan admitted he had mixed emotions.

“I’m pretty thrilled, but I’m pretty nervous at the same time about moving on from RSU 21 and going to college,” said Durcan, who will study computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York this fall.

Durcan was not the only one. His two friends, Caleb Thill and Haydn Wells, said they were excited and nervous too.

Isabel Read takes a selfie with her friends at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.
Isabel Read takes a selfie with her friends at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.

Wells — who played football, baseball, wrestling, and track during his high school career— said he was going to miss his friends, teammates and coaches.

Wells said he plans to study athletic training at Springfield College in Massachusetts at the end of the summer, while Thill said he will launch a career in welding here in Maine.

Kennebunk High School's Caleb Thill, left, Haydn Wells, and Matt Durcan each said they are going to miss their friends and teachers.
Kennebunk High School's Caleb Thill, left, Haydn Wells, and Matt Durcan each said they are going to miss their friends and teachers.

The Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 celebrated their graduation on Sunday, June 4. The ceremony was moved indoors due to the weather.

Inside the gymnasium, the 163 graduates were greeted with family members and friends. They packed the bleachers on both sides and filled rows of seats on the floor.

The salutatory and valedictorian address were given by Annalise Cowing (left) and Victoria Ladd at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.
The salutatory and valedictorian address were given by Annalise Cowing (left) and Victoria Ladd at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.

Valedictorian Victoria Ladd and Salutatorian Annalise Cowing broke with tradition and stood side by side at the microphone and delivered a joint speech. Given their years of friendship, they said, delivering their speeches together felt natural to them.

Both Ladd and Cowing encouraged their peers to be kind to themselves.

“Instead of thinking about what you could have done, think about what you can do,” Cowing said. “If you make a mistake, forgive yourself. We’re all human.”

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Ladd urged her fellow graduates to keep a broader perspective of their lives.

“From this moment on, every day will present new challenges, opportunities, and memories,” she said. “We hope that you can take some time each day to be kind to yourself and remember how far you have come.”

In the fall, Ladd will attend Quinnipiac University to study behavioral neuroscience. Cowing will attend Northeastern University and enter the Explore Program for undeclared students.

Graduate sisters and twins Adora and Amede Olise with their parents after graduating on Sunday.
Graduate sisters and twins Adora and Amede Olise with their parents after graduating on Sunday.

Principal Jeremie Sirois recapped the four years they all had experienced together and said he was pleased to stand before them and officially declare them alumni of Kennebunk High School.

“Next year will not be the same without you,” he said. “You will be missed.”

Sirois wished the graduates the best of luck in their future endeavors.

“Whatever your next step is, do it with passion,” he said. “Do it because you believe in it. But, most importantly take that next step knowing it is what you want to do at this particular moment in time. Enjoy all that your lives have to offer and I look forward to hearing about all the amazing things you accomplish in the coming years.”

Senior James DiGiovanni says goodbye to Principal Jeremie Sirois by patting his head at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.
Senior James DiGiovanni says goodbye to Principal Jeremie Sirois by patting his head at the Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation.

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As faculty guest speaker, KHS history teacher Gregory Smith spoke about the power of words and how they combine to forge identities and destinies, but only if one can be flexible and adaptable as they meet life’s challenges and unexpected turns.

Smith told the graduates that he grew up seeing himself destined to be a warrior in the United States Navy, particularly after the devastating terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. When Navy doctors broke the news to him that he was not medically able to serve, however, his identity “collapsed.”

“My world collapsed,” Smith told the graduates. “How could I be me, if the word that had defined me could now only define others?”

Gregory Smith, faculty guest speaker and social studies teacher, spoke about his goals and ambitions growing up and how they've changed over the years.
Gregory Smith, faculty guest speaker and social studies teacher, spoke about his goals and ambitions growing up and how they've changed over the years.

But the truth was, Smith said, he still became a warrior. He said he just needed to redefine the word he had always used to identify himself.

“What am I today? I am a warrior,” Smith told the graduates. “My battlefield is my classroom, and my mission is you.”

Smith urged the graduates to take all of the words they have been given and move forward with a willingness to relearn them, if necessary, and be open to change as they forge their identities.

“Then,” he said, “you can move to that next phase of adulthood: helping others build their worlds with your words.”

The Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation was held Sunday, June 4.
The Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation was held Sunday, June 4.

Prior to the ceremony, graduate Emily Belanger said she’s not sure what the future holds. She said she may go to college, where she would either study cake-decorating or prepare for a career spent working with children.

Looking back on the past four years, Belanger said learning virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic was a “big change” for her. She said it felt good when she was able to return to class full-time.

“I’m going to miss some of the teachers who made a big impact on my life,” she said.

Emily Belanger is all smiles moments before she and her fellow graduates marched into their commencement ceremony in the Kennebunk High School gymnasium on Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Emily Belanger is all smiles moments before she and her fellow graduates marched into their commencement ceremony in the Kennebunk High School gymnasium on Sunday, June 4, 2023.

Like her art teacher, Katie Mooney, for example.

“She was always there for me,” Belanger said. “She’s the best teacher.”

Kennebunk High School Class of 2023

Graduate Kylie Parsons poses with her flowered mortarboard and quote, "This was the very first page. Not where the storyline ends" - Taylor Swift.
Graduate Kylie Parsons poses with her flowered mortarboard and quote, "This was the very first page. Not where the storyline ends" - Taylor Swift.

Emily Ahern

Maxwell Aiello

Soaad Al Ghanim

Stacey Ames

Grace Archer

Andrew Atwater

Coralie Aubin

Jeremy Babcock

Kathryn Barry

Sarah Barry

Anna Batchelder

Pavina Beardsley

Avah Bedard

Emily Belanger

Grace Bergeon

Renee Bergeon

Ethan Berthiaume

Lily Bickford

Zachary Bishop

Peyton Blanchard

Olaf Boisvert

Matilda Bordas

Alexander Brackett

Katie Braddick

Sarah Cameron

Ayden Caston

Jack Cataldi

Grace Cochran

Shea Concannon

Barrett Connor

Edie Cornell

Jack Cornell

Annalise Cowing

Fletcher Crean

Flynn Crean

Isabella Crowe

Timothy Crowell

Preston Cyr

Kylie Day

Lauren DeLeo

Mckenna Demmons

James DiGiovanni

Livia Doerrer

Alexis Dow

James Dunne

Matthew Durcan

Amelia Emery

Ava Feeney

Ava Ford

Jet Francis

Hayden Furber

Abigail Gagnon

Brady Gailloux

Kayleigh Garrity

Colin Gaucher

Lily Gauthier

Caiden Gilliam

Casey Glode

Zoe Gott

Delaney Grant

Angelina Griffin

Kaya Harden

Alana Harrison

Elizabeth Hayes

Nathan Herring

Connor Hildreth

Dylan Hilton

Aidan Hodge

Sean Horgan

Dylan Hurley

Emma Hussey

Emily Hutchins

Angelika Ivanov

Nathan Jacobs

Laila Kea

Jordan Kellis

Jameson Kendrick

Cameron Kennedy

Tucker Kennedy

Jack Kennie

Lilly Knappe

Miles Kohler

Alexia Kuenzel

Victoria Ladd

Andrea Lamontagne

Sophia Leach

Tyler Lefebvre

Brady Lemieux

Shawn Liguori

Margo Limmer

Henry Lowery

Xander Lowry

Claire Luken

Skyla Lulek

Quinn MacDonald

Cassandra Mackenzie

Collin MacLeod

Margaret MacLeod

Solomon Madore

Emily Mains

Jake Maloney

Noah Manning

Aidan Marley

Samuel Marquis

Chloe Matthews

Frank McDougald

Margaret McEwen

Eamon McGlashan

Lily McGovern

John McKinney

Lidya McLaughlin

Cody Milliard

Eric Milligan

Spencer Mitchell

Sawyer Montembeau

Sophie Moody

Shannon Morin

Jacob Morris

Madison Mosher

Abigail Mullen

Anne Murer

Christopher Nass

Aiden Nedeau

Bernadette Nelson

Philip Nguyen

Blake Nunan

Reyna O’Brien

John Ogden

Maya Olin

Adora Olise

Amede Olise

Anthony Oliver

Maxwell Orendorf

Gennaro Orrino

Kylie Parsons

Walter Paulo

Lauryn Peabody

Abigail Pelletier

Elena Pike

Pason Porter

Janelle Powell

Dakota Price

Ethan Prichard

Selah Raymond

Isabel Read

Cayden Rec

Ella Richardson

Parker Rist

Alexander Robinson

Ruby Rodriguez

Dylan Rogers

Isabella Rossborough

Brayden Roy

Adéla Rutrlová

Kaitlyn Schoener

Lila Schrock

Ruby Sliwkowski

Jackson Smiley

Danielle Soucy

Mitchell Stevens

Justice Stewart

Asher Storlazzi Ward

Rebecca Taggart

Damon Taylor

Timothy Teguis

Colby Temple

Caleb Thill

Emma Thomas

Elisabeth Thombs

Luke Tomasulo

Nicholas Valentino

Fabricio Valerdi

Chelsea Valliere

Mickenon Walters

Andrew Washburn

Willem Watkinson

Camden Webber

Haydn Wells

Garrett Wendell

Peyton West

Kaya White

Samuel Woodman

Ayden Wyman

Tobias Yearwood

Lev York

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk High School Class of 2023 graduation full of mixed emotions