Biddeford High School sends off Class of 2025
Jun. 6—Scott Descoteaux took to the stage Friday night and gave graduating Biddeford High School students on odd message: when life gets hard, just wash your hands.
In the early 19th century, the Biddeford Middle School principal said, many women were dying during childbirth, and doctors couldn't figure out why. That's until a Hungarian physician realized doctors need to wash their hands between patients to avoid infections.
"It was that simple, and it changed everything," he said. "Graduates, things are not always as complicated as they seem. Sometimes life's solutions are really quite simple."
Descoteaux was invited by students to give the guest speech at the Biddeford High School's Class of 2025 graduation ceremony, and told his former students he was moved and honored to watch them receive their diplomas. In a speech that married sincerity and humor, Descoteaux encouraged students to forge their own paths and embrace failure.
"I'm not here with a magic formula for life. I do not have a secret philosophy on how to find success, meaningful happiness or wealth. What I am here to talk to you about today is something that I think is just as important: the choices that you'll make here, moving forward, and the kind of person that you want to become," he said. "Your journey will not look like anyone else's, and that's exactly how it's supposed to be."
In a memorable ending to his speech, Descoteaux lead the crowd in a rendition of the school's alma mater while holding — but not really playing — the ukulele.
On a warm, wet Friday night, 175 Biddeford High School students walked across the stage of the school's Tiger Gym to receive their diplomas. The evening included a lively crowd and performances from the Biddeford High School Band, the concert choir and several student speeches.
Senior Class President Keelie Gregoire kicked off by sharing some wisdom from pop singer Harry Styles.
"'If you are happy doing what you are doing, then no one can tell you you aren't successful,'" Gregoire quoted the singer. "As we all go on to college, the trades, taking a gap year, or the military, it is very important to put yourself out there and take risks."
Salutatorian Glen LaRoche told the crowd about how much being a part of band had changed his life for the better, and valedictorian Ella Ireland rounded out the speeches by congratulating her classmates for their growth and perseverance.
"Eleanor Roosevelt once said that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams," Ireland said. "It is my hope that people can go out into the world and have the courage to dream those dreams. Nothing good comes easy, and you will have to work for it."
After the students walked, and occasionally danced, across the stage to grab their diplomas, Principal Martha Jacques told students they were ready to leave their mark on the world.
"The world you're stepping into is full of possibilities, and now more than ever, it needs your curiosity, your creativity and your kindness," she said.
Over the weekend, other high schools in the region including Westbrook, Scarborough and South Portland will celebrate their graduating classes. Seniors at Portland's three high schools graduated at Merrill Auditorium earlier this week.
Copy the Story Link
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
US Open '25: DeChambeau's sand save an all-time memory at golf's most punishing major
It only feels right that the reigning titleholder at the golf championship that, at least in theory, anyone can win is the player who leans into the role of the sport's most relatable everyman, Bryson DeChambeau. And it only feels right that at the U.S. Open — a tournament built to humble and punish the best in the game as much as celebrate them — DeChambeau earned his title by hitting a shot that virtually no man can hit. A plaque now sits outside the bunker on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, enshrining the spot where DeChambeau placed his name in the history books with what he called 'the shot of my life' — a 55-yard blast from the sand to 4 feet with the trophy hanging in the balance on Sunday at last year's Open. Defense of the title begins Thursday at Oakmont, getting ready to host its record 10th U.S. Open and a course with a longtime reputation for being as difficult as they come. All of which seems to suit the 31-year-old pro golfer/social media star just fine. His first U.S. Open title came in 2020 at Winged Foot, the course best known for producing the 1974 'Massacre at Winged Foot' along with Phil Mickelson's meltdown in the trees and trash cans more than 30 years later. Then, last year, that bunker at Pinehurst. What would golf's everyman say to his millions of YouTube followers who someday might encounter their own version of the 50-yard bunker shot, widely recognized as one of the most difficult in the game, even under normal circumstances? 'The best piece of advice I give them is, just practice in weird, unique situations for maybe an hour a week, 20 minutes, whatever,' DeChambeau said. 'But try to be different and don't just hit the same stock shot every time.' All the major championships have their own personalities. The Masters produces roars through the pines during back-nine charges on Sunday. The British Open is a brittle links-style test where players have to think differently about getting from Point A to Point B. America's golf championship has a reputation for forcing the best players to suffer like the rest of us. As a result, the list of 'greatest shots of all time' at the U.S. Open is a short one: — Ben Hogan's 1-iron on the 72nd hole that helped force a playoff at Merion in 1950. — Arnold Palmer's lash with driver to the first green at Cherry Hills in 1960. — Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron that hit the flagstick on No. 17 at Pebble Beach in 1972. — Tom Watson's chip from the rough on the same hole 10 years later to beat Nicklaus. — Tiger Woods' 12-foot putt at Torrey Pines in 2008 to force a playoff he eventually won over Rocco Mediate. And now, there is DeChambeau's bunker shot. 'When he took this big swing, the amount of confidence that you have to have to hit it that close to the golf ball and not accidentally catch too much ball and send it on top of the clubhouse, it's a very fine line,' said NBC golf analyst Smylie Kaufman, whose biggest brush with pressure came when he played in the final group Sunday at the 2016 Masters. 'They work every single day, every week at these facets of the game in hopes they will have an opportunity to try it,' said Notah Begay, also of NBC. 'I think one of the most overlooked things about professional golf is all the calculation that happens on the fly in evaluating certain shots, which way the grass is lying, where the ball's going to land, and on top of all the normal things.' Maybe the biggest irony is what the U.S. Open officially sells itself as, versus what always ends up happening. More than 10,000 players signed up to qualify for the U.S. Open which is, officially, open to any professional, or amateur with a handicap of 0.4 or lower. There will be good stories to tell among those who went through qualifying to make the 156-man field : a 17-year-old high schooler from Georgia, a dentist in Indiana who used to caddie at Oakmont. The cold facts: The last man to run the gauntlet of local and sectional qualifying to win the title was Orville Moody in 1969. (Lucas Glover went through sectional qualifying only when he won in 2009.) By the time the sun starts going down on Sunday, the tournament almost certainly will come down to a handful of players who virtually all golf fans have heard of. Though Scottie Scheffler is playing the best right now and Rory McIlroy recently won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, it's plausible to think that DeChambeau captures the attention of more of those fans than anyone. He recently surpassed 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He is making golf feel like everyman's sport, posting videos in which he makes a hole-in-one with a wedge shot over his house, plays with off-the-rack clubs to see how they stack up and tries to beat a scratch golfer while playing left-handed. All of it sounds nutty, but it all goes back to that piece of advice he offered when asked how to replicate the improbable under impossible circumstances — i.e., a 50-yard bunker shot with the U.S. Open on the line. 'Once you get a stock shot down and you're comfortable with it, go have some fun,' DeChambeau said. 'Do a chipping contest with your amateur friends and throw it in the bunker from 50 yards, or throw it in a bush and see if you can get out. Stuff to that extent has suited my game very well.' ___ AP Sports Writer Ben Nuckols contributed to this report. ___ AP golf:
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump vs Musk
As seen on Gutfeld!, Greg talks about the Trump/Musk feud and why both men being passionate is a good thing for the country. Plus Greg read's jokes he didn't get to read this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio
Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Ballerina' Has Higher Audience Scores Than Every ‘John Wick' Movie
Ballerina It feels at least somewhat understandable to be skeptical of a John Wick spin-off movie, one that's a prequel and allows him to make a guest appearance while also being a significant part of the marketing. But Ballerina stands on its own legs, no pun intended, and at least by one metric, could be the best film in the whole series. Ballerina has a bit of an inverse curve going on. It is technically the worst-reviewed movie by critics in the John Wick franchise, albeit with a still solid 74%. But surprisingly, at present, Ballerina has a 94% audience score, which is well above some of the past movies and even inches past John Wick 4. Here's the breakdown. Ballerina The film stars Ana de Armas as a killer who is beginning her assassin training, and the events of the movie take place during Parabellum, meaning John Wick is alive to guest star (albeit not for long). The series also appears to be bringing Wick back to life for a fifth film, so we won't be without him for too long. The movie is being praised for its intense choreography and de Armas' fighting skills (well, plus her stunt doubles), and that's a high bar given that the Wick series has some of the best gunfights in film history. It's a common complaint that there are simply not enough women action stars compared to their male counterparts. It may be hard to pin down an actual ratio, but it's certainly uneven. Here, de Armas is establishing herself in the genre after dipping her toe in previously across from James Bond in a memorable, brief turn in No Time to Die. Ballerina It's worth noting that one of de Armas' breakout roles was Knock Knock, opposite, you guessed it, Keanu Reeves, so we're coming full circle here. De Armas has turned into an in-demand actress in Hollywood and even scored an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. It's encouraging to see that Ballerina is not just a cash-in on the John Wick name ('from the world of John Wick' still sounds weird as a tagline, however), but it actually stands up to the quality of the series, especially on the audience side, it seems. Certainly a must-watch from the sound of it. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
