Southport Central School graduated its six sixth graders with lots of flair at the Southport Town Hall on Friday, June 15. As is tradition, the graduates were transported to the town hall from the school aboard a fire truck, operated by Southport firefighter Adam Harkins, proud father of one of the graduates.

With so few graduates, the students' teacher Shawn Gallagher and the school's principal Lisa Clarke took the time to praise each student for the skills they learned and positive personalities they exhibited during their time at the k-6 school during the awarding of the graduation certificates.

Five boys and one girl were feted during the 90-minute ceremony, which also included the school's other students being recognized by their teachers.

At the end of the ceremony, Azalea Bennett, Andrew Fowlie, Finn Harkins, Garrett Hurst, Robert Shaw and Corey Sherman received their framed graduation certificates and applause from the 70-plus people in the audience.

The ceremony opened with the graduates walking into the hall, one by one, from the hall foyer, followed by the Pledge of Allegience, the singing of the national anthem, and a song sung by the student body and led by the sixth graders.

Teachers then presented gifts to the underclassmen. Katie Madden, who is moving away to Portland due to her husband's Coast Guard job after her three years of teaching at SCS, presented stuff animals, emblematic of their personalities, to her kindergarten students and first graders. Clarke, a teaching principal, presented her second graders with gifts which matched their interests. Gallagher and classroom assistant Jane Williams handed out "summer survival kits" to his fourth and fifth graders. Finally, Eileen Higgins presented several certificates to students who completed her computer keyboarding program.

The graduates then offered remarks on what the school, teachers and community have meant to them. Bennett held court for most of the time during the presentations, handing out handmade gifts to all of the graduates’ teachers.

The event ended with the student body singing a song and a video playing that Higgins produced from photos.