Deering High School held its 151st graduation exercises for the Class of 2025 on Thursday, June 5, at Merrill Auditorium. Featured in the morning ceremony were remarks by Superintendent Ryan Scallon, Deering Principal Jake Giessman and Deering Assistant Principal Halima Noor, as well as speeches by students, musical performances and the presentation of diplomas.

Giessman called the 137 students of the Class of 2025 “the Comeback Class.” He told the graduates, “You brought us out of COVID and you brought Deering back as a powerhouse.”

The class began their freshman year in the fall of 2021, just as ​Maine and the nation were starting to recover from the massive disruption caused by the pandemic. Their ninth-grade year was the first time in more than a year and a half that students in Portland were back in school full-time, instead of learning remotely or in a hybrid arrangement.

Giessman said the students had not only been successful academically and in athletics and clubs but also in fostering an atmosphere of support and belonging with each other and throughout the school. “Together you rebuilt something special, and we thank you for that,” Giessman said.

In his remarks, Scallon highlighted some of the successes of the Class of 2025, including:

●      Three graduates named as Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, which honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for college success.

●      A graduate selected as a semifinalist in the prestigious 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, a national honor recognizing a student’s exceptional  intellect and tenacity.

●      Graduates helping Deering's Science Olympiad Club put in an outstanding performance at the State Science Olympiad Tournament, garnering individual gold, silver and bronze medals.

●      Graduates assisting the Deering Debate Team in winning the 2024/2025 Maine State Speech and Debate Championship in Debate overall.

●      Twelve students graduating with STEM diploma endorsements that recognized their extensive work in the vital career fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

●      Twenty graduates earning the Seal of Biliteracy, showing their competence in English and at least one other language. Those languages included Arabic, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Urdu.

●      One graduate selected as a semifinalist for the state’s most prestigious football honor, the Fitzpatrick Award.

●      Graduates playing an integral role in the success of the RamDogs, the Deering/Portland girls swim team, which captured that team’s second Class A championship in a row.

●      A 2025 Class member celebrated for achieving 1,000 career points in basketball.

●      One graduate recently pitching a winning baseball game with 10 strikeouts.

●      A graduate recognized by the Rotary Club of Portland with the Spirit of Youth Award and a scholarship for academic achievements and dedication to community service.

●      Graduates leading a successful Red Cross blood drive at the school.

●      Being accepted into highly competitive colleges and universities all across the country and in Maine, including MIT, Boston College, University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, Villanova University, Brown University, Southern Maine Community College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Cornell University, Arizona State University, Columbia University, New York University, Yale University, the University of Maine and Bates College.

The superintendent urged the graduates to “do good in the world, whatever that looks like for you.” He concluded by telling the Class of 2025: “We’re really proud of you and what you’ve accomplished.”

Deering graduations are student-centered by tradition, and usually the principal cedes most of their speaking time to a student. This year, Giessman said he would “break tradition” by ceding the rest of his speaking time to Assistant Principal Halima Noor. He described her to graduates as a mentor, leader and “someone who inspires you and is inspired by you.” Giessman’s announcement was met with loud applause.

Noor herself is a 2016 graduate of Deering and she talked about why she decided to return as an educator. “I came back as a teacher so that one day students of mine, like you, could go out and create a kinder world,” she said.

She talked about the hard work and perseverance it took for members of the Class of 2025 to get through four years of high school, but said their responsibilities did not end at the graduation stage. “You earned this diploma, but you still owe,” Noor told the graduates. “You did not do this work alone. No one does.” She said they should thank everyone who helped them along the way.

She praised the Class of 2025 for their support of each other and other students. “You lived the [Deering] ideal of all one school, learning together in the classroom, on the court and the field and in clubs,” she said.

She credited class members with growing the Black Student Union and also creating clubs for Asian-American students, Jewish and Middle Eastern students. “So no one would ever ask if they belong, you made it clear that they did,” Noor said.

She encouraged the graduates to continue to make their voices heard on behalf of “the overlooked, the silenced…those whose lives are often treated like an afterthought.”

She ended by saying: “You’ve already made history here at Deering, so now go and change the world.”

Salutatorian Violet Blum Levine told fellow graduates that the greatest lesson she learned in high school was that “the most random things can have a big impact.” As an example, she said she joined the Robotics Club because she was bored and looking for something to do – and got hooked. “Through robotics, I found my passion for engineering, which I plan to study the next few years,” she said. She urged her classmates “just be open to saying yes” to new opportunities. “You never know where it will take you,” she said.

Valedictorian Asa Tussing encouraged the graduates to stay curious, especially about other people. “Curiosity is important, asking questions is crucial to understanding,” he said. “In the age of AI, fellow humans remain our greatest resource.”

WATCH THE CEREMONY.

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with nearly 6,500 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 47 percent of the district’s students are white and 53 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.