enlarge John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Alexander "Chippy" Woodson wears a namesake chipmunk on his cap before the Yarmouth High School commencement at the school on Sunday.

enlarge Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

Thornton Academy seniors make their way to Dr. Paul S. Hill Jr. Stadium for commencement exercises on Sunday. High school diplomas were presented to 277 graduates.

YARMOUTH — Michael Quinn was wrapping up his graduation speech when he leaned toward the microphone and offered his high school classmates a piece of advice: "Be grateful."

Quinn missed a chunk of school last year because of an intestinal problem that took seven surgeries to fix.

He returned to Yarmouth High School this school year, competed in gymnastics and lacrosse and graduated with his class.

Quinn spoke about overcoming obstacles during the school's 46th commencement on Sunday, letting his teachers and classmates know that their get-well cards and hospital visits helped carry him through an admittedly tough time.

"There were countless times when I wanted to give up," he said.

Yarmouth was one of 16 high schools to award diplomas on Sunday, the busiest commencement day this spring in southern Maine.

At ceremonies in Yarmouth and Kennebunk, student leaders urged their classmates to change the world and remain true to themselves.

The graduates are part of what some social commentators have labeled "Generation Me" – the coddled, cocky and narcissistic group born after 1970.

Kennebunk High School valedictorian Hannah Hussey encouraged her classmates to prove the experts wrong about her generation.

"I know that we can prove comments like this false," Hussey said.

The midafternoon commencement ceremony in Kennebunk drew a crowd of more than 500 people, who packed the high school's gymnasium.

Kennebunk graduate Parker Auger said the commencement was one last chance to see classmates all together before they scatter in search of jobs and college degrees.

Auger plans to leave soon for more than 10 months of backpacking through Europe. He'll earn room and board by working on organic farms.

"We got kids going everywhere," he said, between post-commencement handshakes, hugs and photographs.

Kennebunk High graduate Clara Berry plans to study music and business this fall at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Her parents, Tom Berry and Gail Lynde, said the ceremony was a milestone for their daughter. The next big event – watching their daughter leave home for college – will be tough, they said.

"Oh, I'm dreading it," Lynde said. "I'll do it, I'll be a trooper, but I'm not looking forward to it."

In Yarmouth, valedictorian Zachary Hynes capped his speech with a Boston Red Sox reference that dates back to his freshman year, when the team won its first World Series in 86 years.

Hynes told Yarmouth High's graduating class that when it comes to tackling the world's problems, remember the team's rallying cry in the fall of 2004: "Why not us?"

Staff Writer Elbert Aull can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

eaull@pressherald.com