PITTSFIELD -- One hundred and thirteen Maine Central Institute high school seniors walked across the school's grassy front lawn to receive their diplomas Sunday at noon.

The school year ended on a sad note with news of the China earthquake that killed tens of thousands and made refugees of hundreds of thousands. With several of the diverse student body having ties to the country, the tragedy hit especially hard, MCI Co-Head of School James Hornor said.

"This class ... understands the fragility of life," he said.

Students rallied together after the May 12 disaster and sent aid packages to the reeling province.

Diversity is one of the main strengths of the campus, as exposure to people of different backgrounds better prepares students to make their way in an increasingly global business scene, class salutatorian Garam Lee said. He urged students to embrace new experiences and change as ways to learn and grow as individuals.

Making the transition to MCI four years ago was a huge change for him, Lee said.

"The language was different ... I found that there were many more things that I didn't know than that I did know," he said.

Lee said the change broadened his experience.

The class of 2008 is about to encounter even more change, he said, as students either enter the workforce or go to college.

Class valedictorian Lori Allison Celeste, who participated in MCI's ballet program, compared the moment to a rising curtain as the dancers on stage stand poised with the knowledge they soon will not be practicing, but performing. She exhorted the graduating seniors to choose fields they will enjoy.

"Our world is separated into two groups of people," Celeste said. "Those who enjoy what they do and those who merely do what they do."

Then she addressed the underclassmen: "When that curtain rises, we are on our own," Celeste said. "Train and prepare now, so when your curtain opens you will be ready."