PORTLAND, Maine — Casco Bay High School seniors participated in a longstanding tradition Friday, marching through downtown Portland to show their commitment to furthering their education.
The senior class of nearly 100 students walked down Congress St. to drop letters in a mail box. Those letters are to say "thank you" to people who have supported them through the college application process.
The school's principal, Priya Natarajan, said every student is required to apply to some form of post-secondary education.
"We try at Casco and Portland Public Schools in general to make sure that all of our students have a voice," Natarajan said. "And that their voice deserves to be listened to and also that their voice should be an educated one."
Natarajan said administrators work to help students set a plan to further their education in a way that works best for them. She added that students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the college application process sooner rather than later, explaining that most students end up needing associates, bachelor's, or higher degrees to secure certain professional fields.
"If they just have a high school diploma or only a few classes, then there's only a certain type of job that they can acquire, and going beyond that requires additional schooling," Natarajan said.
Jayden Monteiro is one student in the crowd who wants to see people prioritize college and extended learning, explaining that protecting the country's democratic system starts with educating the people who participate in it.
"That system is severely threatened when we have an uninformed citizenry that doesn't understand the impact or the dangers of not knowing about civics and understanding history and learning from past mistakes," Monteiro said.
Monteiro is an early decision applicant, and he is hopeful that he will be accepted to Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
Last year, 97% of the Casco Bay's graduating class was accepted to college.