CAMDEN — Watershed School graduated four seniors – Leo Feldman, Michael Galvez, Dominic Piconi, and Giulia Vittoni – in a personalized commencement ceremony Saturday, June 10, at the Camden Snow Bowl.

The close-knit graduates received hand-painted custom-made diplomas, created for them by fellow students. Each graduate prepared a short speech, in which they highlighted special moments in their education, thanked their families, friends, and faculty, and spoke about how being a part of the Watershed community has helped them step into young adulthood as capable, confident citizens of the world. They spoke about learning to give back during Watershed's community service blocks, cultivating compassion and conversation during Watershed's weekly all-school meetings, and gratitude for being encouraged to dive into topics they feel passionately about during Watershed's six-week Senior Project block.

Keynote speaker Joe Kleinman, who teaches History at Watershed, spoke about each student with humor and love.

"One great benefit of a small school is how well our teachers know our students," said Head of School Will Galloway. "That close teacher-student relationship is one of the most important aspects of Watershed School."

The ceremony also featured certificates for Watershed School's international students. With a robust exchange program, according to Watershed, in a news release, Watershed hosted students from Germany, Italy, Spain, and France this year.

"Our international program is one of the things that makes Watershed unique," said Ronni Arno Blaisdell, Admissions Director. "Since we're a small school, all of our students have the opportunity to really get to know our international students. This leads to a richer school culture and a more diverse community, which not only benefits our exchange students, but our local students as well. Our students know they have friends across the world, and many take the opportunity to visit them in their home countries. We're incredibly grateful to our host families who make this program possible, and to our international families who trust us to give their children a wonderful experience in Midcoast Maine."

Watershed School is an independent high school located in Camden, serving students who are looking for a challenging academic program in the context of a supportive and enthusiastic school culture. A Watershed education is built on the principle that exceptional individual growth develops out of strong teacher-student relationships within the context of a close-knit community. Faculty concentrate on knowing each student in the school — in terms of learning style, interests, attitude toward learning, challenges, and aspirations — so they can help develop each student’s full potential. The democratic nature of the community develops skills leading to effective citizenship and fosters a healthy affection and sense of responsibility for the school, thereby increasing student openness toward learning, toward each other, and toward adults. The attitudes fostered at Watershed School prepare students for a lifetime of learning and for involvement in local communities and the larger world.

Watershed is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, is a Maine State Approved High School, and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

For more information, please visit watershed-school.org or call 207-230-7341.