Mahar students can attend The Pathways Innovation High School, an "Early College High School," in association with Mount Wachusett Community College.
ORANGE - Massachusetts Secretary of Education S. Paul Reville has high praise for the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School. “It’s an outstanding high school with great leadership,” he said before giving a keynote address at the school’s graduation Friday.
He lauded the school district for embracing the opportunity to create an innovative school in which there is “unusual collaboration” between the school system and public higher education.
Reville was invited to be the keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony after working with administrators at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in the creation of The Pathways Innovation High School, an “Early College High School.”
Students who attend may receive an associate’s degree and high school diploma in the same time that it takes to earn the high school diploma.
Reville spoke about the leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurship of the program, saying he hoped the graduates will develop those skills so they can better face a challenging economy.
The 117 graduates received their degrees in a ceremony on the football field.
The secretary of education promoted higher education and said he hoped the graduates would stay in Massachusetts.
“If they do well personally, they will be a huge asset to this commonwealth,” he said.
At the graduation, the senior National Honor Society members were announced along with the top 10 seniors.
Interim Principal Scott A. Hemlin was hired as dean of students four years ago, so this is the first Mahar class he has seen through four years of high school.
“I have that connection with them,” he said. “I’ve seen them grow. They’re great citizens.”
He noted that at the recent prom, he heard many compliments about the students’ polite and respectful behavior. “Those are the values we’re trying to instill in them.”
Hemlin said members of the Class of 2011 “are genuinely nice kids” who have character and personality. “The class as a whole, they’ll succeed.”