The Yarmouth Alumni Association’s annual spring social will be taking place on Main Street at Yarmouth’s newest brewery, Brickyard Hollow. Please join us for delicious brews and food while catching up with other Clippers. We hope to see you there!
It’s time to pull out the pads and lace up the skates. The 2018 Alumni Hockey game will be played at Travis Roy Arena on Thursday, December 24th at 11:00 am. The cost is $20.00.
As usual, the game will feature the Even Years vs. the Odd Years. Evens should wear dark jerseys, the Odds white.
At the Fifty-Sixth Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 10th, the 128 members of the Class of 2018 received their diplomas, turned their tassels, and joined the ranks of alumni/ae. The ceremony culminated several hectic weeks of activities for the seniors.
On Friday, May 25th, Anna Parker received the Robert W. Boyd Award, presented on this 50th anniversary of the award by the first recipient, David MacKinnon ’68. Anna, daughter of YHS Latin teacher Meghan Casey, was a member of the Student Senate all four years, serving as President in her senior year. She served as the student liaison to the School Committee during her junior and senior years, as well as participating in sailing and ice hockey. She will matriculate at the College of Holy Cross in 2019 after spending this next year working for Safe Passage in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Marching practice and the class picnic preceded the Convocation on Thursday, June 7th at the First Parish Church. Eliza Crowley, Molly Malczynski, and Greta Elder spoke for the students. HMS teacher and long-time boys soccer coach Mike Hagerty was the guest speaker.
The Awards ceremony took place in the YPAC on Friday morning, June 8th. Over 80 of the seniors received either an award or a scholarship. Recipients of the major awards were:
Greg England Award: Luke Groothof; Robert Hawkes Award: Hannah Corey; George O. Merrill Award: Luke Laverdiere; Maine Principal’s Award: Miranda Clarke; Western Maine Conference Citizenship Awards: Eliza Crowley & Bay Hanson; Hector Hebert Award: Emilia Ruth.
This year’s award ceremony also marked the presentation of the inaugural Yarmouth Alumni Association Award in honor of Ben Soule. This award was presented to Sean Moore, who exemplified dedication, selflessness, humility, and school spirit, characteristics that Ben Soule brought to the Yarmouth schools and community throughout his career.
As usual, the Commencement ceremony on Sunday took place under a tent in front of the school. Class President Margaret Gunville welcomed the attendees. Anna Parker and Sammy Potter delivered the student speeches. Stephen Smith, CEO of LL Bean and father of senior Meghan Smith, was the guest speaker. At 5:00 pm the students departed by bus for their all-night Project Graduation event.
The Annual Meeting of the Yarmouth Alumni Association will be held on Wednesday, May 23rd in the Flex Room (Room 415) at Yarmouth High School. All members of the YAA are welcome to attend.
Several YHS alumni/ae are running for Yarmouth town offices. Kate Barker Shub ’98, a former YAA Board member, is running for the School Committee. Andy Kittredge ’98 is running for Town Council. Andy served a three year term earlier, took a year off, and has decided to run again. Meghan Casey, the Latin teacher at YHS, is also running for Town Council.
YHS art teacher Holly Houston was named Art Teacher of the Year by the Maine Art Education Association at their meeting on April 27th. Holly will speak at the Portland Museum of Art next March during Youth Art Month, and also be honored in Boston at the National Art Education Association convention. At YHS she teaches print-making and ceramics.
This year Houston received a $2,600.00 grant from the Yarmouth Education Association to bring a local artist to YHS to work with her students. A graduate of Bowdoin, she worked at schools in Saco, Portland, and Falmouth for thirteen years before coming to YHS twelve years ago. An artist in her own right, Houston holds after-school sessions on Tuesdays, when students are welcome to work alongside her, working on their projects while she pursues her own.
While most of us were glad to stay indoors on Patriots Day, four YHS alums and a staff member braved the miserable conditions to run in the Boston Marathon. Craig Nale ’02 finished in 629th with a time of 2:50:44. Lisa Belisle ’88 covered the twenty-six mile course in 3:59:17. Matt Lane ’96 clocked 3:04:59. Becca Bell ’11 finished with a time of 3:21:18. Angela Nasveschuk, who is an assistant coach of field hockey and girls’ lacrosse and a frequent substitute teacher, clocked 3:43:40. Congratulations to all five for persevering in the most trying conditions, a splendid reward for the months and miles of training.
Robert Demont ’73, President of Demont Associates in Portland, was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Fund-raising Professionals on Northern New England. Bob served as the first president of the Yarmouth Alumni Association.