OLD ORCHARD BEACH — With temperatures soaring toward the nineties, 50 Old Orchard Beach High School graduates accepted their diplomas at the Seaside Pavilion on Sunday.
 
The graduates — and their families — persevered through the heat, but for many of them, said Principal John Suttie, the heat was nothing compared to some of the Class of 2017’s struggles.
 
“I see you every day in the halls and just shake my head when I think about your resilience,” he said, speaking to the graduates. “Some of these kids have been dealt a tough hand in life through no fault of their own.”
 
“These students to my right have endured some terrible disappointments … yet they still found a way to come to school,” he said.
 
Among them was Michael McCrea, the Class of 2017 honor essayist, who spoke publicly about his family’s longstanding battles with drug addiction. He grew up in Biddeford, but met a girl his freshman year and moved in with her family, he told the Journal Tribune prior to Sunday’s commencement.
 
With his new “family,” in high school he rose to graduate fifth in his class, was inducted into the National Honor Society his junior year and played both basketball and football throughout his time at OOBHS.
 
“If I’ve learned one life lesson from my time as a football player … it is the value of perseverance,” he said to the crowd Sunday. “Never stop fighting until the last whistle blows.”
 
He spoke of his biological family, with whom he last little contact, and said it’s important to take control of one’s own life.
 
“My family had surrendered the power to write their own stories. I refuse to let anyone write my story for me,” he said, urging his fellow classmates to do the same.
 
“Know that nobody in this world but you can decide what happens with your life. You can be the author of your own story,” he said. “You can overcome anything, no matter what the scoreboard says.”
 
Valedictorian Carolyn Graves offered a similar sentiment, telling her classmates what she sees as the secret to success.
 
“When you find something you love — a hobby, a job, a person — hold onto it. Never let it go. … You can never do your best if you don’t love what you’re doing,” she said. “In order to succeed in life, you need to find people who will allow you to grow. Whether you are surrounded by peers, friends, colleagues or your significant other, you need to make sure they push you to grow and flourish throughout your life.”
 
Peers were on graduate Aubrey Pettey’s mind Sunday, moments before the close-knit group proceeded to their seats.
 
“It’s crazy to think that we’ve gotten through all these years together and keep close to each other,” said Pettey, who will be studying at the University of Southern Maine in the fall. “I’m proud of everyone. I’m proud of myself.”
 
Others said their high school journeys were made in pursuit of making others proud, too.

“I just want to make my mom happy, that’s all,” said graduate Anthony Patrizzi. “I’m just doing this for my mom.”

Suttie said the group not only overcame their adversities, but excelled both academically and professionally, as well.
 
He said the OOBHS Class of 2017 had won more awards at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology than previous classes; received more scholarships than classes of the past; had more students entering the U.S. Armed Forces than others; and a number of them had already become gainfully employed.
 
“In all the graduations I’ve been in … I’ve never encountered a group of students who’ve overcome so much to sit here today. These students have risen to the occasion determined to make a better life for themselves than the ones they had before,” Suttie said. “I wish you luck that I know you don’t need. I wish you love that I know you’ll have, and I wish you joy.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.

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