LIVERMORE FALLS — Sunday afternoon Spruce Mountain High School staff were located around or on Griffin Field directing seniors and their families to an assigned spot.

Graduation was moved from the high school to the drive-in movie format at the football field due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day. This is prety cool,” SMHS Principal TJ Plourde said prior to the ceremony. “It’s going to look great. There was a lot of prep work here.”

Each of the 96 seniors arrived in a vehicle filled with family. Location on the field was randomly selected from three groups, based on vehicle size.

Senior Isabelle Castonguay was driven to the ceremony by Raymond Castonuay in an open, restored Willy’s MB 1944 Jeep. With them were Josee and Evelyn Castonguay.

“It’s a little different, but still exciting, senior Scott Jackson said.

Christine Fournier was there to see her daughter, Acacia, graduate.

“I kind of like this style,” she said.

Attendees tuned in to 106.1 FM to listen to the ceremony. It was livestreamed on www.rsu73.com and will be on the school Facebook page and district YouTube channel.

After Pomp and Circumstance and the class song played, Madeline Labonte and Faith Maurais sang the Star Spangled Banner, then Plourde welcomed everyone.

“This graduation ceremony is a little different than normal. I appreciate the Class of 2020 and staff’s willingness to work around the challenges,” he said.

Class Salutatorian Levi Hawkins said he felt a bit awkward and out of his element.

“I don’t like being in the spotlight, but here I am, in front of my entire class…Excuse me if I’m a little self

conscious about wearing this bathrobe,” he said. “Well, the day has finally come, we’re graduating….I wish I could turn back the clock and do it all over again.

“The thing is, life isn’t about looking back, it’s a journey in which we look forward to a future that’s even better. We live in troubled times, times when racism, disease, and division run rampant. It is likely that in the future we will be referred to as, “the corona class” or something along those lines. This uniqueness presents us with an opportunity to model to future generations what to do under pressure.”

Valedictorian Abigail Thurston spoke of setting schedules by time over the last four years.

“Graduation marks the end of this chapter of our lives, and after today we are left with a blank canvas ahead of us. We have now been freed from this set of constructs, and we are left to reevaluate what time means to us,” she said. “We are choosing where we go from here.

“Our class has more obstacles than most in our current situation. All of our future plans are up in the air, and we don’t know how or when they will come to fruition. Right now, in this strange dystopia we are living in, time seems to move slowly…but in the same instance, these months have come and gone in an instant. We cannot stop time. We cannot slow it. We cannot skip ahead or travel back to moments we wish we could change. We can only move forward.

“We persevered to have the experience of walking on stage today to get our diplomas, we persevered through the struggles of high school to earn our graduation in our own right, and we will continue preserving long after these moments. I have faith in our strength as a class, and I have faith in us all as individuals. The beautiful thing about time is that it is always moving forward. We may feel stuck right now, but the passage of time will accelerate us forward into new experiences, new opportunities, and eventually into a better place.”

Each student was called to the stage to receive his or her diploma. While on stage, awards and scholarships were noted and a picture was taken by staff. The student then had another picture taken by staff once off the stage.

Before leading the class in the turning of their tassels, Class President Melissa Bamford thanked everyone for coming.

“The planning for today has definitely been a different experience … This entire school year has been full of a wild turn of events. But we have made it. Finally.”

George Strait’s quote, “I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time.” has gotten Bamford through the last four years, she said.

“We didn’t get a long time this year but we definitely have had some good times over the past four,” Bamford said. “It’s sad but true to say that realizations truly always come from bad circumstances and 2020 showed us that.

“Live everyday to the fullest, take that extra picture with your favorite people, and always be ready for an adventure because those are memories you will have to hold on to.”

Following the ceremony, an 11-minute parade of graduates made its way through Livermore Falls, toward the high school in Jay.

Firefighters from Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls, and Fayette and police officers from Jay and Livermore Falls took part in the procession.

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