By Emma Bouthillette
Staff Writer
Ziggy Marley’s song “True to Myself” played as six New School graduates walked down the center aisle and onto the stage during a June 14  ceremony that took place at the Wells Reserve.
This year was the eighth graduation for the New School in Kennebunk.
Family, friends, faculty and staff gathered under a tent decorated with streamers and flowers for the occasion.
Graduates Will King of Kennebunk, Tim Kelleher of York, Cassie Sears of Shapleigh, Jesse Flood of Acton, Alan Rounds of Hollis and Caleb Viano of Eliot sat around a picnic table under a tree waiting for the ceremony to begin.
“I’ll be working all summer and then attending New England School of Communications, then hopefully Berklee School of Music. I’m interested in social issues, especially homelessness and poverty,” King said.
 “I’m going to University of Maine Orono for economics,” Rounds said.
“I’ll be going to SMCC for construction technology,” Flood said.
“I’m going to Montana State University to study wildlife biology,” Viano said.
Sears spoke on behalf of the class and dedicated the graduation to 2007 graduate Adam Sanders who died in December 2007.
Sears is currently working on an anthology of Sanders artwork and writing as a celebration of his life that will be available for purchase.
Money raised from sales of the anthology will be donated to Peace Action Maine, a grassroots peace organization in Portland, where Sanders did his apprenticeship.
Principal Marylyn Wentworth began the ceremony by saying a little bit about each student. As she introduced each student separately, Wentworth’s speech highlighted the diversity of the graduates.
“Sitting on this stage is six wonderful people well prepared to do good in the world,” Wentworth said.
The New School graduation didn’t have a faculty speaker. Instead, each student was introduced by junior classmates, spoke on their own behalf and allowed people from the audience to speak.
Kelleher’s mother was brought to tears as she stood at the podium.
“These are proud tears,” she said.
“I’ve heard the old phrases ‘You can’t get there from here.’ But Tim did get here from there,” his father, Frank Kelleher said.
Sears reflected on the interesting conversations she would have with Rounds during classes.
“Alan made me see a different perspective,” Sears said.
Everyone who spoke about Viano mentioned his love for the outdoors and his accomplishment of building a boat.
“Caleb is a fine young man of integrity and moral fiber. I can trust him to make good choices,” stepfather Ben Auger said.
All the parents who spoke for their children expressed how proud they were.
The ceremony was a “traditionally sentimental” graduation, Wentworth said.