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Johnathan Green

JOHNATHAN GREEN

Thornton Academy

SACO — When Johnathan Green stepped up to accept his diploma at Thornton Academy, a lot of important people in his life weren't there to celebrate.

Green, an honor roll student who will attend college in Arizona next year, was orphaned last summer when his father committed suicide. Green's mother died of a heart attack when he was 8 years old. Two years earlier, his older brother was struck and killed by a drunken driver while riding a bicycle.

Those who know Green say he has been resilient in the face of these tragedies, maintaining his emotional composure and moving ahead with his life despite his losses.

Green, who speaks in a quiet and confident manner, credits his adoptive stepmother and his friends with providing the support that helped him cope with the death of his father. Green said he was very close to his father, and the two often went hunting and camping together.

Staying busy at school has helped him remain focused on the moment, he said, but there are times -- and he expected graduation would be one of them -- when he can't help but dwell on what he has lost.

"I can do it, but sometimes I'll think about it and it's tough knowing my family won't be there," said the 18-year-old, who for four years has held an after-school job at the Golden Rooster on Main Street.

Green's guidance counselor at Thornton Academy, Paul Mondor, said Green has shown a rare ability to accept the misfortune in his life without anger or bitterness.

"He doesn't think the world owes him anything, yet he's had a lot taken from him," Mondor said.

Whereas some people who suffer great losses become self-focused, Mondor said Green keeps an outward focus. He said Green turns to his friends for support and is known among his peers as someone they can talk to in times of trouble.

"They lean on him as well," he said.

Mondor also described Green as one of the more self-directed students he has known.

Green's passion is for computers. While flipping through a video game magazine, he noticed an advertisement for a college in Tempe, Ariz., specializing in computer studies. Green applied, and this fall he will enroll at the University of Advancing Technology to study video game design.

Green's stepmother, Lillian Adeline Green, said she believes Green has a remarkable inner strength that has helped him deal with the adversity he's faced. She recently accompanied her stepson to a ceremony at Thornton, where she was the only family member to see him collect academic awards for his work in math and computer studies.

"Here he is and he had this big smile on his face and he was glowing," she said.

Staff Writer Seth Harkness can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:

sharkness@pressherald.com