Deering High School held its 152nd graduation exercises for the Class of 2026 on June 4, at Merrill Auditorium. Highlights of the student-centered morning ceremony included a “global welcome,” during which individual class members welcomed guests in 14 different languages, and heartfelt speeches by a total of five students. Also included were remarks from Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Deering Assistant Principal Carlie Frederick, as well as student musical performances and the presentation of diplomas.

Scallon described the 201 students of the Class of 2026 as “a powerhouse of intellect, creativity, athletic excellence and civic leadership.”

He told the graduates: “You didn't just meet the bar at Deering, you soared above it.” He highlighted some examples of their successes, including:

●      Approximately 40 graduates participated in Spring Ahead at Southern Maine Community College, earning college credit tuition-free—Deering’s largest Spring Ahead cohort to date.

●      In other academic achievements, 11 class members earned STEM endorsements, 25 earned the Seal of Biliteracy, and the Class of 2026 produced three National Merit Finalists, two of them scholarship winners. Also, Deering’s Science Olympiad team became Maine State Champions and represented Maine at nationals in Los Angeles, where the Purple Team earned the National Science Olympiad Spirit Award.

●      Graduates were members of the 47-delegate Model UN team, which captured its second straight Best Large Delegation state championship, and class members were instrumental in the Debate Team taking top honors and the Deering Players bringing home award-winning festival performances.

●      In athletics, one classmate swept both the indoor 2-mile and the outdoor 3,200-meter state titles.

“Yet for all your trophies, your true legacy is how you chose to serve others,” the superintendent said. “Through your Senior Capstone projects, you looked outward: preparing dental hygiene packages for rural Mainers, mentoring eighth graders into high school, even repairing the lights in your own auditorium, alongside countless hours of volunteer work.”

He said the graduates’ “combination of talent, grit and heart” is now taking them on new paths. Class members have been accepted at institutions of higher learning that include the University of Maine, the University of Southern Maine, Southern Maine Community College and Maine Maritime Academy, and also Rice, Wellesley, Penn, Dartmouth, Smith, Williams and Syracuse, as well as Dublin City University in Ireland. “Many of you are also stepping directly into vital careers and technical training,” the superintendent said.

Near the conclusion of his remarks, he recalled Gerald Talbot, Maine civil rights icon, community leader and the first Black legislator in the history of Maine. Talbot, for whom Talbot Community School is named, passed away May 9.

“He was a leader in every sense of the word: in his family, in his neighborhood, in the fight for civil rights, and in the life of this whole state,” Scallon said. “He did not wait for permission to make Maine more fair. He led, and in doing so he opened doors that many will walk through today. Class of 2026, carry his example with you. Be the person who holds the door open for someone behind you, who speaks up when it would be easier to stay quiet, and who leaves every community a little better than you found it.”

Student speakers included class co-presidents Alma Wallace and Jalen Curtis.

Curtis began by recognizing “people who have helped me along the way,” including family and school faculty and staff. He highlighted Athletic and Co-Curricular Director Michael Daly for his strong support of students. “Deering athletics would not be what it is today without him,” Curtis said. He also spoke of his father, who died as he was beginning his junior year. “I wish he could be here to see this moment,” Curtis said. “I’m proud to carry on his memory as I take this next step.”

Wallace spoke of science teacher Cyl Davenport as fostering her “passion for STEM.” She said he has inspired her “to live a life filled with challenge and curiosity.”

Deering graduations are student-centered by tradition, and usually administrators cede most of their speaking time to a student. Assistant Principal Frederick spoke briefly about how the Class of 2026 was so welcoming and supportive. “As you step out into the world, keep clapping and cheering for each other,” she said, “…and never stop clapping and cheering for yourself.” Frederick then ceded her time to class member Hilina Gugsa.

Gugsa spoke about accepting change in life. She told a parable about a person in a field choosing one of many paths that stretch into an unknown distance. After the person chooses a path and begins to walk on it, they encounter a wind that grows stronger and stronger. Gugsa told her fellow graduates they will always be battling headwinds in life, but they must keep moving forward. “Every step is shaping the person you are becoming,” she said. “Wind is part of the journey.”

Salutatorian Ellis Retzer said that while graduation is a great occasion, it is also sad, because as graduates move on to a new chapter in their lives, they’re “leaving the old one behind.”

He called Deering “a perfect place to find and build community.” More than awards or recognitions, Retzer said, his most meaningful experiences at the school have been with its people. He recounted how he joined the cross country team even though he had never run before and how he was accepted and encouraged despite that. “There was enthusiasm that I ran at all,” he said.

And he said that although he was “paralyzed by the thought of public speaking,” he joined the debate team and didn’t consider giving up “because I was never met with negativity.”  This school year, he and Alma Wallace secured 1st Place in Varsity Public Forum at the Nutcracker Holiday Debate Tournament. Debate also prepared him for his role of speaking at graduation. “I’m up here talking to you and I’m barely terrified,” Retzer said. He said graduates need to continue to find ways to continue to build community. “Deering has shown me what that looks like in action and I’ll be taking that with me wherever I go next,” he said. He ended by quoting a line from “Winnie the Pooh” to his fellow graduates: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying ‘goodbye’ so hard.”

Valedictorian Ellis Wood, who decorated his graduation cap with flowers and greenery, centered his remarks on love. He said the world is filled with “hate, greed and hunger, but there is also love.” He encouraged the class to focus not on the negative but look at the world through the lens of love. “The world around us is so precious…let’s change it with love,” Wood said.

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with more than 6,200 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 61 languages. Approximately 49 percent of the district’s students are white and 51 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.