SACO — Sometimes, the word “commencement” gets confused with the word “conclusion,” said Thornton Academy Headmaster Rene Menard as he addressed the 367 graduating seniors at the school’s Hill Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Commencement means the beginning, and this is the beginning of adulthood for these students, he said.

As adults, they will have to make choices, he told them. The right choice might be the hardest one, and he urged them to follow their moral compass.

Valedictorian Karen Jacques shared some advice with her fellow classmates: When the results are different than what you hoped for, you shouldn’t panic, but instead try “to keep our minds open and go with the flow.”

When she was finishing second grade, she said, she learned she was going to have “a boy teacher” for third grade and not the teacher with the pink piano, who her best friend was going to have.

“I was beyond devastated,” she said.

However, she learned that the pink piano would always be next door, and she and her best friend shared the hallway ”“ and the “boy teacher” turned out to be one of the best teachers she’s ever had.

Paraphrasing Dr. Seuss, she said, “We have brains in our heads, we have feet in our shoes. We can steer ourselves in any direction we choose. We’re on our own and we know what we know, and we are the ones who will decide where we will go.”

English teacher Caryn Lasante told students lessons she learned from her 5-year-old daughter, who was born with a multitude of health issues, including a brain injury that impairs her vision. Lasante said one doctor told her her daughter would never walk, and though it took her a few extra years, she now walks independently. She told students they can do anything, and if someone tells them they can’t do something, that should motivate them even more.

“Whichever path you choose, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot succeed,” she said.

Class speaker Bobby Begin said, to much applause, that the Class of 2013 is one of the greatest classes that has ever graduated from Thornton Academy.

“This is a truly great day that will not be soon forgotten,” said Begin.

“I would not be here today without the help of many people,” he said.

Begin thanked those at the school, including faculty who went out of their way to make connections with and help students; friends “who helped him every step of the way;” and the football team, which he said “has given me the time of my life.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or [email protected].