Portsmouth High School seniors graduate Friday, June 10th. After four long years, the class of ‘22 has certainly left its mark on the community of PHS. 

Four-year student and leader, Maxwell Lalime “will miss the culture of the school,” and the “great school spirit,” of PHS. Lalime, like most seniors, is, “sad because he spent the last four years here and built good relationships,” but, “excited for the future.”

The class of 2022 won’t only leave their impact on the people in their class, and the teachers that taught them, but also on everyone else they pass in the halls. Elliot Miles, a junior, will “miss seeing,” all of his senior friends in the hallways between classes.  

The class of ‘22 is unlike any other class to graduate. After spending most of their time behind masks, or at home because of COVID, they have been molded into persistent young adults, ready and eager to tackle the world behind the high school. 

The class of ‘22 has grown a lot since the start of freshman year and still has a lot of growth left. Whether that growth comes from more schooling or from job experience, it is important to continue to grow as strong individuals. 

To the graduating class, one lesson that everyone should have experienced at some point is failure. It is important to fail when you are young so that you know how to succeed. If one doesn’t fail, then they will never know the feeling of defeat. It is important to fail and keep trying so that you know what it takes to succeed. 

A teacher in the PHS community, Rick Hugener, has some words for the graduating class that he hopes everyone will listen to. “No one is going to give you anything for just showing up, you have to put effort and work into everything you do, and ask for advice when you need it.”

One thing that separates the graduating class from others is how this class “gets along better than others,” and “suppers each other well,” Hugener said.

Once we graduate, we will be faced with many decisions, many of which those bad decisions. I hope that during your time at PHS, we all have learned to make the correct decision, and not one out of peer pressure. 

I wish everyone the best of luck after graduation.