Oyster River High grads told to ‘love, serve’

By EMILY ZIMMERMAN

Democrat Staff Writer

DURHAM — Members of the Oyster River High School Class of 2004 stepped out of their "boxes" Friday night when they received their diplomas.

Class President Elizabeth Santos said graduation day marks a time to leave the "box" — and the comforts of the last 12 years.

"The box is a priceless metaphor. A symbol of our life," Santos said, referring to the securities offered by the school, family and friends.

"Now that we are seniors, we are tired of these boxes. It’s time to get rid of it and throw it away."

Oyster River graduated 172 seniors, their teachers hopefully having prepared them for the challenges and successes of their adult lives.

The seniors marched from the high school building dressed in royal blue caps and gowns to a tented ceremony site on the soccer field. More than 300 family and friends attended the ceremony to pay tribute to the graduates.

Santos encouraged her classmates to leave behind the securities they have known and explore the world.

"Today is graduation day. Today is when this box — closed for so long — flies open and we dive into the chaos and confusion of life. This is the day we finally discover what we are made of," she said.

Oyster River High School Principal Don Lafferty said he is extremely proud to the students —"his family" — for supporting him over the years.

"You go and chase your dreams; you find your fortune and be happy," Lafferty said. "When it comes to the world, just know your family will stand behind you."

In her graduation speech, valedictorian Emily Belanger gave her class three goals: to take care of their bodies and be healthy, avoid harmful substances and, most importantly, be honest. Belanger said, "We must love and serve each other. We need not be a society that is divided by politics, race or religion. We are about to enter a scary world but we will remember all we’ve learned at Oyster River High School."

During her address, Salutatorian Graham Dodd left the Class of 2004 with three goals: take care of your bodies and be healthy, avoid harmful substances and, most importantly, be honest.

"We must love and serve each other," Dodd said. "We need not be a society that is divided by politics, race or religion. We are about to enter a scary world but we will remember all we’ve learned at Oyster River High School."

With all the speeches done and with diplomas in hand, members of the Class of 2004 moved their tassels from left to right, then replaced their mortarboards with yellow hard hats.

The hats, provided by school officials, were in thanks for the years of construction this class had endured throughout their high school careers.

"This class has been through so much construction, and don’t get to see the final product," said Oyster River Athletic Director Carol Gephart.

Class of 2004

Benjamin Allen, Adem Althor, Elizabeth Anderson, Emma Armstrong, Danesh Azarkadeh, Emily Belanger, Mathew Belanger, Jarret Bencks, Andrea Berlin, Shawn Borchers, Brynn Bowes, Daniel Brady, Noami Brautigam, Adriane Bredenberg, Jeffrey Bridges, Daniel Brothwell, Alexandra Brown, Jacob Burbank, Laura Burnett-Kurie, Amanda Burtt, Shane Casimiro, Avila Chase, Colby Chauvette, Omar Chavez, McKenna Clark, Derek Clay, Stephanie Cofrin, Brian Collopy, Laura Comeau, D. Adam Comtois, Cameron Cota, Cassandra Cox, Richard Crotty, Elizabeth Daly, Michael Damast, Natan Daskal, Rebecca Davis, Max DeAngelis, Graeham Dodd, Christian Doherty, Kimberly Doller, Shannon Dolliver, Tirzah Drake, Benjamin Durant, Nathaniel Eaton, Ryan Fleming, Matthew Ford, Sabrina Ford, Robert Fortier, Alex Foster, Lauren Foxall, Christian Frentzen, Tyler Fulton, Dana Gardner, Megan Gearheart, Christopher Gibb, Emily Goodnow, Andrew Gregoire, Jack Guillemette, Leon Hadley, Shaun Hanson, Elizabeth Harvey, Warren Hatch, Fiona He, Maura Hentz, Daniel Hoy, Christopher Jones, Emily Kelley, Emma Kelly, Julia Kincade, Seija Koski, Matthew LaBarbera, Jenna LaBranche, Marissa LaCoursiere, Joshua LaPierre, Abigail Larson, Benjamin Larson, Erica Laue, Lindsay Leighton, Brandon Lonstein, Raphael Low-Weiner, Amberle Lustgraaf-Fant, Daniel Lynch, Lynne Macdonald, Tracy Macdonald, Jette Mandl-Abramson, Amy Maurer, Patrick McCafferty, John McCosker, Conor McCullough, Duncan McInnes, Michael McRae, Patrick Melvin, Nicholas Miale, Daniel Michaud, Preston Miller, Zachary Moss, Brandon Munroe, Lindsey Murphy, Emily Nelson, Katherine Nulk, Patrick Nye-Power, Alexander Oien, Michael Okoth, William Olmstead, Jill Olson, Michaela Olson, Israel Olvera, Marianne Owens, Liza Pappas, Sadie Pappas, Neha Patkar, Jessica Paul, Daniel Perry, Alia Pietlicki, Sarah Pilar, Lindsey Pollard, Martha Poole, Richard Powell, Brianna Powers, Caitlyn Quinn, Emma Quinn, John Reilly-Mallon, Nicole Reola, Christa Ricker, Jennifer Rigterink, Jillian Rosenacker, Jennifer Ross, Ethan Roy-Webb, Tara Ruccolo, Kyle Russell, Oliver Salmon, Elizabeth Santos, Richard Schanda, Matthew Schuster, Molly Shaheen, Eric Shaker, Zachary Simmons, Joshua Small, Joshua Smerdon, Matthew Smith, David Sobel, Benjamin Sohl, Matthew Spielman, Kittisak Srisoonthornthai, John Stevens, Kimberly Stevens, Matthew Stevens, Lucas Sillwagon, Casey Streelman, April Summers, Chloe Surpless, Nicholas Tarvainen, Erica Taylor, Alicia Tebbetts, Dina Tsukrov, Danielle Tuttle, Mark van Hoorn, John Ventresco, Heidi Vetterling, Sally Warren, Daniel Watson, Janis Watson, Bryce White, Haley Wicklein, Christopher Williams, Sarah Wills, Amanda Wolfe, Elizabeth Wood, Daniel Woychowski, Evelyn Yip, Daniel Zocchi.