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.