The Valley Primary School, known to its students as the “Home of the Golden Horses”, held its annual graduation ceremony on the morning of Tuesday, July 21st at the St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral. It was the final in a series of this year’s ceremonies for the six public primary schools, the first being Alwyn Allison Primary School’s which was held on July 7th.
It would be worth mentioning that all of the Island’s primary schools, as well as the secondary school, are named after teachers or principals of the past, except The Valley Primary School. Originally constructed in 1969 by British paratroopers, it was initially called Valley Cosley School. Since then, the school has grown tremendously, and serves the largest number of primary school students on the island. As many as sixty graduates walked the aisle on Tuesday morning — the largest contingent of primary school graduates this year.
Valedictorian: Alannis Hodge 
Salutatorian: Rohan Richardson
Student Leandra Richardson sang the National Anthem and the National Song was sung by the audience. Following this was an inspiring prayer by Pastor David Christmas, and the School Song was sung by the brilliant band of graduates, clad in their yellow, shiny gowns. Their gowns, no doubt, reflected the significance of their graduation theme, “Glowing with Potential; Sparkling with Promise; Shining with Possibilities”.
The Principal, Mr. Michael Skellekie, welcomed the audience and made his congratulatory remarks to the graduates: “Welcome to this graduation ceremony in the morning. It is likely that our future graduations would be held at this time of day, when we are revived and the morning is fresh. Four months ago, we did not envision a ceremony of this kind for a graduation. Due to COVID-19, we had planned a more humble setting, perhaps in the school yard. It would have lasted no more than an hour, with maybe about 175 persons in attendance, with about 20 awards or so. It would have been void of much pomp and ceremony. However, our theme reminds me of where we are now — shining with possibilities —Yes, great things can still happen.”
He continued by sharing the spirit of the ceremony with all those who had played a part in propelling the graduates to the level that they had attained: “This graduation exercise, this morning, does not only highlight the achievements of our year seven students, but others who belong to the fabric of who and what we are, and were also responsible for our values of glowing, sparkling, and shining during their time at The Valley Primary School.”
The Keynote Speaker was Mr. Clemvio Hodge, entrepreneur of the tour guide magazine, “What We Do In Anguilla”. Mr. Hodge, in his address, sought to highlight the importance of being brilliant enough to solve problems that would stand in the way of the graduates’ development.
Turning to the graduates, he stated, in part: “This morning, I see that you are all glowing, sparkling and shining with potential and possibilities. But I want you to ask yourself three key questions: ‘What potential do I have? What promises will I make for myself? What possibilities exist for me?
“These questions are not easy to answer,” he said. “They recur throughout our lives. But I have discovered that the best way to answer them is to know that within you dwells the solution to any problem that might try to hinder your potential, promises and possibilities. There may be many problems that you might face along the road of life. But the key to overcoming these problems is to know that every problem has a solution, and you have the potential and the possibility to be the solution to such problems.”
Teacher Kenda Lake introduced the Valedictorian. She was Ms. Alannis Hodge, daughter of Ash and Melonie Hodge. She made a very impressive and commanding speech on keeping one’s eyes on the goal. In part, she said: “It is indeed an honour, and a most humbling experience, to stand before you this morning on behalf of all my fellow graduates. I stand in gratitude for reaching this important milestone in our lives. There were many frightful obstacles in our journey. Many times we felt like giving up; many times we felt like not studying and doing something more interesting. But we did not take our eyes off the goal.”
She observed that instead of achieving their academic goals, they could have been distracted by cell phone apps like Tick-tock, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or become preoccupied with viewing Youtube and Snapchat. “These were the many obstacles and distractions that could have caused us to take our eyes off the goal but, instead, in order to successfully complete our primary education, we kept our eyes on the goal.”
A host of awards and presentations were made. Each was graciously received against a backdrop of exuberant cheers. Apart from academic awards, which were presented for exceptional performance, other awards included: Most Outstanding Male & Female Sports Award; Individual Students’ Sports Award; Ms Rochelle Reid Award for Most Outstanding Female All Rounder; SER Legal Consultancy Services Award; Teacher Gloria Award for Most Outstanding in Language; National Netball Association Award; Anguilla Cycling Association Award; Coaches Awards; Early Act Club Medals; Student Council Medals; and Teacher Tokens.
As the ceremony came to a close, the graduates gave a splendid rendition of a song, “Shine Your Way”, with musical accompaniment by Gordon Hazel and Elson Richardson. The Salutatorian, Master Rohan Richardson, delivered the Vote of Thanks, and the Principal, Mr. Skellekie, officially presented the Class of 2020.
On behalf of The Anguillian, we extend hearty congratulations to the VPS Class of 2020.
- Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
