AMESBURY — Again and again, it was mentioned by the different speakers at last night's Amesbury High School graduation — the Class of 2008 was something special.
It is a class that didn't even spend its freshman year physically at the high school. And for the remaining three years, the class dealt with the chaos and confusion brought on by a delayed renovation and expansion project.
As seniors, the traditions enjoyed by other classes — Color Day, Sing Out, sports games and Drama Club productions — were all affected by the construction, as the school's gym, cafeteria and auditorium couldn't be used.
But, as Class President Jennifer Fuller said, they saw those challenges and they met them.
That is the motto of the Amesbury High School Class of 2008, she said. "We can do that."
In fact, not only did the class meet the challenges, but they met them well, she said.
"Once again, we did that," Fuller said.
As sophomores, 94 percent of the class passed the math portion of the MCAS exam, and 96 percent passed the English portion. The class set a new school record for community service hours — 37,158. Eighty-eight percent of the class is continuing with its education next year.
"As a class, you have a lot to celebrate," Superintendent Charles Chaurette told the 156 graduates.
The Class of 2008 kept their school spirit and preserved those traditions, Chaurette said. Loyal spectators followed the sports teams to where they played. The seniors organized a Color Day that included a march down to Amesbury Middle School. It was so popular, it may be done again in future years.
While the class was celebrated as a whole, its members were instructed to move on and start the next phase of life.
"Now is the time for us to go our separate ways," Fuller said.
Some in the class will join the military, the business world, politics; others will become actors, teachers, parents, she said. She implored her classmates to keep their motto in mind.
"When the world calls on you, you will say, 'I can do that,' and do it well," she said.
Salutatorian Kathleen Cleary told her peers that the time had come to take control and steer their own lives.
"Through the windshield, we can see the bright future approaching," Cleary said. "From this point we are on our own."
She urged her classmates to live life to the fullest and not to have "what ifs."
"Our time is now," she said.
The Class of 2008 is linked, valedictorian Benjamin Hall said. Together they dealt with the construction. They each shared in the "dreaded senior research," and they all read the same literary classics, he said.
"Undoubtedly, there is a link between you and the person sitting next to you," Hall said.
Some memories are forever trapped in your brain, he said, while others fade. It was the message of a seventh-grade teacher that led him to the podium before them, Hall said. A note written by a teacher in the final weeks of school — she told him she looked forward to seeing him as valedictorian.
He spent the years since then working toward that goal, Hall said.
Chaurette urged the graduates to "enjoy every single minute" of the milestone they had reached.
"Life is about dealing with unexpected stuff," Chaurette said.
It's something the Class of 2008 has done, meeting the obstacles of the construction project more than any class before them, he added.
The class was a "tremendous role model" for others, he said.
"You will be a tough act to follow," Chaurette said. He concluded with a final word of advice.
"Please remember to treat all you meet with decency and respect; at the end of the day, people will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel," Chaurette said.
This year's graduates were the first in several years to receive their long-awaited diploma outdoors under the lights of Landry Stadium.
While the temperatures weren't as high as hoped and the sky wasn't a clear blue, for the Class of 2008, none of that mattered.
Under a gray sky, the 156 graduates laughed, cheered and grinned.
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