By Erin Mackie
Graduation on June 3 is coming quick for the seniors at Mashpee Middle High School and it’s time for this year's seniors to end their four-year high school journey. For some seniors it’s hard to believe that soon they will be going separate ways from their friends who have become family and teachers who have become guardians over the years. As for others, they are ready to get out of the small town of Mashpee and move onto bigger things.
Graduation on June 3 is coming quick for the seniors at Mashpee Middle High School and it’s time for this year's seniors to end their four-year high school journey. For some seniors it’s hard to believe that soon they will be going separate ways from their friends who have become family and teachers who have become guardians over the years. As for others, they are ready to get out of the small town of Mashpee and move onto bigger things.
When I asked Tyler Leconti how he was feeling about graduating he stated, “Honestly, I was feeling pretty sad that it was over but the closer it gets the more excited I am to be done with it.” I asked Tyler if the thought of being on his own with not as many people on your back about getting his work done or to guide him scared him and he said, “Not necessarily scary I’m more looking forward to being able to just do what I need to do by myself.”
After graduation he will be working for the summer and then in the beginning of fall he will be traveling to Hawaii and attending Honolulu Community College studying Administrative Justice. Tyler is looking forward to graduation but until then is focusing on school and getting his work done. He also said he doesn’t want to “mess up on attendance and losing it all with only one week left.” When I asked Tyler if he would miss Mashpee, he said, “The only part of Mashpee I’ll miss is the part of it being so close to Falmouth where there’s a lot of nice places to go and drive around.”
I asked my brother Joe Mackie how he’s feeling about leaving Mashpee and attending the University of Maine. He said he’s ready but he will definitely miss his “boys” along with all of his classmates he has created relationships with since preschool. He also said he is excited that his school isn’t too far away from UNH where his friend Alex Morry will be attending next year. He stated he can’t wait to “go see UME beat UNH in hockey.” But he said he is very sad because another friend Ari Purdy will be attending Berkeley in California, which to Joe is “too far to see him a lot, but I know he’ll be doing great things out there.” Joe also said he’s going to miss his other close friend Kyle Wunder, who’s going into the US Marine Corps.
When I asked Joe if he was afraid to be on his own he said, “I’m more than ready to live on my own under my own rules.” Joe claimed leaving Mashpee and peers is “a little scary but nothing I can’t handle.” I asked him what he’ll miss about Mashpee and he claimed mostly his friends that are underclassmen and he claims he’ll miss the “crazy summers” but is excited overall to graduate from this small town and begin a new chapter in his life.
Overall the seniors of Mashpee are having mixed emotion about leaving their home town and being on their own.