LIMESTONE, Maine — Twenty-five students graduated from Maine’s only public magnet high school Saturday.
After walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas, members of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ latest graduating class beamed with pride and high-fived each other before taking their seats again.
Hailing from as near as Aroostook County and as far south as Cumberland County, MSSM students leave the comfort of their hometowns and schools. Most are seeking an environment that will help them grow academically, said Aaron Rose, the student speaker at this year’s graduation.
The Class of 2024 also made history as the first crop of freshmen to begin their studies in 2020, as the pandemic brought about mask and social distancing requirements. It was not until their junior year that Rose and his classmates could live full time at the residential school.
“It was then that we experienced the joys of belonging to something bigger than ourselves,” Rose said. “In this remote part of the world, we turned what could have been a lonely place into a thriving community.”
Nine of Rose’s peers are also leaving MSSM with associate of arts degrees from the University of Maine at Presque Isle after taking dual enrollment classes. Those students are Bruno Sainz, Nathaniel Hayes, Max Usher, Hanna Cox, Rye Hughes, Elizabeth Rethman, Charles Reischer, Gabriel Austin and Emiko Peck.
UMPI President Ray Rice served as the keynote speaker, reflecting on his early love of reading, especially science fiction, that influenced his decision to study English in college. He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees and became an English professor at UMPI.
Despite not having college degrees themselves, Rice’s parents encouraged him to explore the world through books and excel academically.
Similarly, he said, the MSSM graduates all have gained an ideal education thanks to support they’ve received from teachers, classmates and family members.
“That education is something that lasts a lifetime,” Rice said. “There is no better institution to prepare you for what follows over the course of your lifetime than MSSM.”
Rice encouraged all students to use their education to shape the world in positive ways and had some parting words paraphrased from a favorite science fiction movie.
“May the force, your powerful force to shape our futures, be with you always.”
