More than 140 Messalonskee High School seniors will graduate tonight
More than 140 Messalonskee High School seniors will graduate tonight in a ceremony slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center.
Most of those impending graduates are headed to further their education in a formal sense by enrolling in either a four-year or two-year college.
Of the 104 Messalonskee students who plan to go this route, 75 percent have elected a four-year college and 25 percent a two-year institute.
“One of the things we try to impress on our kids here,” Messalonskee principal Scott Hallett said, “is you are going to want to be a lifelong learner.”
Hallett said the percent of students going on to college has increased over the years, and he said he anticipates that in Maine at least the number of students who elect to take the two-year path will increase over time.
“When a student graduates from high school, the best bet is to hone in on a skill, a specialty,” Hallett said.
For those going with the two-year option, Kennebec Valley Community College by far is the most popular choice with about 20 heading to the nearby college.
They’ll do so without paying a cent for tuition thanks to Gov. Janet Mills recent signing of a $519 million supplemental budget that makes the tuition-free program a permanent fixture.
As long as a person has lived at least the last year in Maine, that individual qualifies for the scholarship even if the person did not graduate from a high school in the state. The program enables all qualified applicants to choose among Maine’s seven community colleges.