The first instinct Bridget Sargent had at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, was to hit the snooze button.

But then she remembered she had to graduate.

“Once I was awake, I was excited that it was graduation,” said Sargent, a Pembroke Academy senior from Allenstown.

Sargent and her friend Lynn Noonan worked together to make sure their sashes were straight and their caps were pinned on correctly. Both will attend the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord this fall.

All the graduating seniors were abuzz about future plans that morning.

Senior Kurtis Chesley is shipping off to Illinois in a few weeks for basic training. He is joining the Navy; Tyler Fritz will head to NHTI to study video game design.

Savannah Fitzpatrick, the senior class treasurer, is excited about attending Plymouth State University this fall, but was more focused on the speaking part she had to deliver in front of hundreds of family and friends who turned out for the graduation ceremony.

Fitzpatrick also presented awards to Pembroke Academy faculty.

“I’m nervous about speaking,” Fitzpatrick said before the program. “I feel like I was in first grade last week. These last four years have gone by so fast.”

More than 200 seniors received diplomas on the athletic fields of Pembroke Academy yesterday morning. The rain held off, and the grass was dry enough to set the picture- perfect backdrop for the ceremony.

“When I looked at her this morning, I thought that by the end of the day, she’ll be on her own,” said Donna Hall, mother of graduate Alex Hall, who will attend the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

“It’s gone by very quickly. We’ll definitely miss her, but we’re excited for the opportunities ahead,” she said.

Andrew Gosselin, father of senior Stephanie Gosselin, said there could not be a prouder parent on the athletic field yesterday.

“I know my daughter has a head on her shoulders above most others,” Gosselin said. “She’s graduating from Pembroke Academy in the top 10 percent of her class. She knows exactly who she is, and what she wants to be. It’s a very proud moment.”

West, Central and Memorial high schools also held graduations on June 20.