ELLSWORTH — Life is an amazing gift, but it is both short and fragile — so have fun and go after what you love.
That was the message that the 108 members of the Ellsworth High School (EHS) Class of 2014, clad in school-color maroon gowns, heard during their graduation ceremony at the school on Friday night.
The message came in separate speeches from valedictorian Alexandra “Sasha” Rydlizky and salutatorian Braden Beardsley.
“Life truly is a miracle,” said Rydlizky, who encouraged her classmates to recognize “the very wonder of existence.”
She said everyone can live fuller and more authentic lives by fighting apathy and by deciding what they are passionate about.
Beardsley struck similar themes in his speech, telling students they were not heading into the real world because they were already a part of it.
Student-selected speaker Sid St. Peter began his speech by taking a selfie.
That’s a self-shot photograph taken using a cell phone, for the unacquainted.
St. Peter also got the audience laughing by comparing the college application process to “proposing to this amazing girl, then waiting four to five months to hear back from her.”
“But what she doesn’t know is that you’ve also proposed to four or five other amazing girls as well,” St. Peter said.