By STEVE KOLOWICH
Staff Writer Saturday, June 2, 2007

Staff Writer

The 2003 graduating class at Hall-Dale High School in Hallowell had a nickname: "the family."

Four years since they walked out of Hall-Dale and into the world, five members of that tight-knit class donned their caps and gowns and prepared to graduate together -- again.

Apparently, this family sticks together.

On May 20, Joseph Fortier, Shaina Chastain Katz, Sara Rau, Liz Todd and Neal Waters celebrated commencement together for the second time when all five graduated magna cum laude from Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

Though they share a common background, each of the students pursued different academic passions once they got to Clark.

Katz, who was president of Hall-Dale's class of 2003, majored in psychology and peace studies, and aspires for a career in conflict mediation or diplomacy in the Middle East. Waters, who was secretary of the class of 2003, studied the history of the moving image, and has considered going into a variety of fields, from public television production to mail carrying.

Fortier, meanwhile, majored in geography information studies, pursuing an interest that he developed at Hall-Dale.

Todd fell in love with film at Hall-Dale and went to Clark thinking she would study it, only to end up majoring in business management after discovering her talent for number-crunching. She credits her film teacher at Hall-Dale, Andy Wallace, with infusing the creative sensibilities she said she now applies to her work as an entreprenuer.

Fortier said that the small classes at Hall-Dale "gave teachers a great opportunity to get to know students," adding that the skills and interests he acquired during his high school years equipped him to excel in college.

"Hall-Dale encourages students to think critically," he said. "(At Clark) they want you to think critically about all things."

Rau, who studied American government at Clark, believes that Hall-Dale not only readied her for the academic climate of college, but also prepared her to thrive in a diverse social environment by inspiring open-mindedness in its students.

"They always encouraged students to accept other cultures and embrace diversity," she said. "I think if I hadn't had that background, I wouldn't have met the sorts of people that I ended up meeting at college."

For Rau, studying government at Clark gave her the opportunity to study in the nerve center of American politics: Washington, D.C.

She spent the spring of her junior year in the nation's capital taking classes at American University (AU) and interning for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, whom she described as "very determined and focused." Rau said this experience was definitely one of the highlights of her college career.

Katz also took advantage of the opportunity to study in Washington, enrolling in a peace and conflict resolution program through AU. Through that program, she was able to travel to Northern Ireland and meet with various leaders and diplomats, including 1998 Nobel Peace Prize recipient David Hume.

Like Rau, Katz said that Hall-Dale helped her develop an attitude of open-mindedness that enriched her college experience. Katz's first-year roommate was a Pakistani Muslim -- certainly an underrepresented demographic in Hallowell, which is 97 percent white, according to the 2000 census.

Katz said the diversity at Clark "opens your mind and your way of thinking."

In addition to adjusting to the academic and social atmosphere of Clark University, the five students also had to adjust to life in Worcester, New England's third-largest city.

Fortier said it was not until late in his college career -- when he got a bicycle -- that he summoned the courage to venture out into the city alone. Fortier described the area around Clark as one of the "rougher areas" of Worcester, and said that students needed to figure out "where you could go and when."

As a community service organizer during her years at Clark, Katz immersed herself in the sometimes-rough neighborhoods of Worcester. In recognition of her community service work at Hall-Dale, Katz had received a "Make a Difference" scholarship from Clark, which required her to commit to remaining active in service during her time there -- a requirement she said she was glad to fulfill.

Katz worked alongside other Make a Difference scholars to help organize "Just Do It" Day, which gave Clark students opportunities to interact with and serve the area around the college.

As fate would have it, four of the five Hall-Dale alums plan to graduate together one more time: Fortier, Katz, Rau, and Todd are all enrolled in accelerated masters degree programs at Clark that will culminate next spring. Looking to the future, Rau is seriously considering law school, Katz aspires to earn a Ph.D. in conflict resolution, and Todd is excited to become a certified public accountant within the year.

Still, these members of the Hall-Dale class of 2003 "family" remain connected with each other, and with their home town.

"We've developed our own groups of friends, but we've kept that connection," Katz sid.

"You see some people say, 'When I graduate, I'm going to get out of Maine,'" she said. "But I'll always consider Maine my home."

Steve Kolowich can be reached at skolowich@centralmaine.com.