Houlton High School honor parts posted

Marty Bouchard, principal of Houlton High School, has announced the honor parts for the Class of 2005. Senior Last Chapel will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, June 6, at the high school auditorium. Graduation ceremonies will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at John Millar Arena.

Valedictorian is Michelle E. Varney, daughter of Michael and Debbie Varney. She is a National Honor Society member and a Principal’s Award Honor Roll student, has served as class treasurer for three years and has had perfect attendance from kindergarten through 12th grade. She is a four-year member of the Student Council, serving on the executive committee and as treasurer her senior year. She also participated in the civil rights team and the Dollars for Scholars committee. She is a member of the chemistry club and yearbook committee. She has been active in sports, participating in junior varsity and varsity soccer, junior varsity and varsity basketball, varsity volleyball, summer soccer and basketball leagues, and she traveled to Holland and Belgium as a Maine team member for the Dutch Soccer Academy. She attended basketball camps at Colby College and Husson College and soccer camp at the University of Maine.

Varney is a member of the chorus and was in the school performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls.” She was the sophomore queen candidate for Winter Carnival, has served in the social service program and volunteered at Houlton’s Fourth of July fair celebration. She was honored at the Houlton Rotary Club Student Recognition Day and received a Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Achievement for excellence in science and mathematics. She was one of five geometry students whose work was selected by the state to be used as part of the school’s assessment system in support of Maine’s Learning Results. She is the recipient of the Project Wisdom Golden Rule Award.

Varney will attend Husson College to major in physical therapy.

Ashley L. Gard, daughter of Michael and Angela Gard, is salutatorian. She is a National Honor Society member and received the Junior Class English Award, the Society of Women Engineers Award, and first and second place awards in the science fair for chemistry and physics. She received second place in the Maine State Science Fair for physics. She was named Student of the Month for excellence in English.

She is a member of the chemistry club and Academic Decathlon, and she has served on the Student Council. She was freshman class president and sophomore class treasurer. She is a member of the Military Street Baptist Youth Group.

Gard is a band member, serving as section leader. She is a jazz band and jazz ensemble member, and she is part of McGill’s Community Band and the All-Aroostook Band. She worked on set design and construction for choir and theater performances. She has played junior varsity and varsity soccer, serving as captain her senior year, and she was named captain of the varsity tennis team. She was a member of the girls hockey team.

Gard has served as a peer helper and tutor, a social service big sister, and participated in career exploration at Houlton Regional Hospital. She is a National Honor Society community volunteer and is employed at Houlton Farms Dairy Bar. She participated in the Northern Maine Soapbox Derby and participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program to Brazil.

Gard will attend the University of Maine to major in biology.

Collin H. York, son of Jerry and Jane York, is the First Honor recipient. York is a member of the National Honor Society, and he has received the Highest Honors Principal’s Award, the English Award, the University of Rochester Humanities and Social Science Award and the Williams College Book Award.

York has served as sophomore and junior class president, senior class vice president and Student Council president and vice president. He is a member of Hi-Y Youth in Government.

He is a member of the golf team, serving as captain his junior and senior year, a member of the junior varsity and varsity basketball teams, the junior varsity baseball team and the independent track and field team.

York is a peer tutor, participates in the social service program and is a Dollars for Scholars representative. He has been accepted at Bowdoin College and will major in engineering.

Matthew M. Cummings, son of Leigh Jr. and Sandra Cummings, is the Second Honor recipient. Cummings is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. He attended the University of Maine Summer Program for Gifted Math-Science-Engineering students and was named a University of Maine Top Scholar. He has received Highest Honor Principal’s Awards and received an invitation to the National Leadership Forum. He is a member of the Academic Decathlon and the French club. Cummings has received perfect attendance awards throughout his high school career. He has served as a big brother in the social service program and as a volunteer at Houlton State Fair.

Cummings is a member of the All-Aroostook Honor Band, All-State Honor Band, McGill’s Community Band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, jazz band percussion ensemble, pit orchestra and received the Jazz Band Solo Award. He has received the Outstanding Concert Band Award and Judges’ Choice Award for Concert Bands at Festival his sophomore year. He has served as concert band section leader.

Cummings has played junior varsity and varsity basketball, junior varsity soccer and varsity tennis, where he served as captain. He has been listed in the Who’s Who in Sports register. He was named to the 2005 Maine McDonald’s Academic All-State Team and the Penobscot Valley Conference All-Academic Team. He will attend Colby College to major in engineering.