On Tuesday 30 June, the beautifully decorated auditorium of the Alwyn A Richardson Primary School was packed with proud parents, family, friends and staff of the graduating class of 2015. All twenty of the graduates grandly marched into the hall in their gowns and on to the stage.
The Principal, Ms Marcia Brooks, admonished them to choose friends wisely; remain focused on their school work; participate in as many school activities as they can; be respectful and obedient; take away all the good qualities instilled in them during the past six years, and to remember that they can move mountains with their dreams.
The keynote speaker, Mrs Kristy Richardson Harrigan, emphasized the theme ‘We can move mountains with our dreams’. She told the graduates that the first step to being successful is to have a dream. She quoted George Lucas who said, “Dreams are extremely important. You can’t do it unless you dream it.” And Harry Kemp who said, “A poor man is not he that is without a cent, but it is he who is without a dream.”
“Having a dream is only the first stage,” the Principal said. “When you want something bad enough you will work to make it happen. So once you have set your goals, be prepared to work towards it. And if you try and fail, try again – you may have to change the way you do it but try again.”
The Valedictorian, Cailan Fleming, declared the theme to be most appropriate to him. He mentioned how, when singing in the choir at a graduation, when he was in grade 2, he told his mother he wanted to be valedictorian when he graduated. However, he had to overcome many challenges academically which required specialist help. To his amazement, and delight, he recently won an award for an essay he wrote.
“Me, Cailan Fleming, was able to write an essay that was understood and it won. Wow!” he remarked.
The programme was well paced and interesting with various features. The awards were not only for academics and sports, but also for virtues such as good team spirit, kindest person, most energetic, most improved academically (the latter of which went to a student from the DOVE Centre who graduated with his peers.)
