The annual graduation ceremony of The Valley Primary School, the “Home of the Golden Horses”, was held on Wednesday morning, June 30th, at the Royal Caribbean Hotel in Little Harbour. The ceremony had as its theme: “We are Braver than We Believe, Stronger than We Seem, Smarter than We Think”.
Moderator of the proceedings was Ms. Rebecca “Queen B” Webster. Following the singing of the National Anthem by graduates Aaliyah Webster-Robinson and Malachi Ryan, the Anguilla National Song was sung by all in attendance. This was followed by an inspirational prayer by Pastor David Christmas. The graduating class then sang the School Song.
The school’s Principal, Mr. Michael Skellekie then gave the welcome remarks: “Today we graduate fifty-three students,” he proudly declared. “As we always do, we reward our graduates with not just academic awards, but those in the sports and extracurricular categories are also duly recognised and awarded.
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our parents, the graduation committees, clubs, and our staff, all of whom have contributed in various ways.”
“It is you who have made this day possible for us,” the Principal observed, “so, on behalf of our graduates, I would like to extend thanks to all of you as we cordially welcome you here today.”
The keynote speaker, Ms. Avern Gumbs, was then introduced by graduate Delecia Harrigan. She described the guest speaker as a passionate, dedicated business enthusiast. Having proudly graduated from the school in 2008, Ms. Gumbs sought to motivate the graduates by directly engaging them to consider taking five courses of action: 1. Dream big; 2. Be respectful; 3. Appreciate the little things; 4. Be disciplined; and 5. Be willing to sacrifice.
Then she summoned: “Golden Horses! You are not a coward or a scarecrow; you are braver than you would ever believe you are. You are not a weakling; you are stronger than you seem. You are not dumb and you are not doting; you are smarter than you think you are.”
Following Ms. Gumbs’ address, it was time for the issuing of certificates, special awards and gifts. This segment was rather extensive, as numerous presentations were made. These included, but was not limited to: the Gloria Kelsick award; NBA Sports award; Rochelle Reid Athlete’s award; SER Legal Services award; Delta Petroleum award; the Boys2Men award; Hello Tourist award; and the Male and Female Academic awards.
The introduction of the Valedictorian, Miss Zariah Roach, followed. This was done by Tr. Keri Richardson who described Zariah as an active child who is engaged in extracurricular activities such as dance, music and netball.
Throughout her address, Zariah thanked all who had contributed to the support of the graduates while they were “struggling” through the maze of school life: “I would like to extend the most gratitude to God,” she acknowledged, “who helped us work hard towards this achievement. We thank our parents, who never ceased to encourage us. We are grateful to our extended families, and all of our teachers who have helped us through this seven- year journey…
“We came into Valley Primary School as tiny tots, struggling to spell and speak articulately. We are leaving now as young, developing individuals who are still learning to grasp the fundamental skills of life.”
“It surely has not been easy,” she recounted, “especially with the devastating Hurricane Irma setbacks of 2017. We have had to endure hot classrooms and brave the struggle of moving from one school building to another. And then, we have had to face the difficulties that came with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic…It was surely a struggle but, despite it all, we as a school, and as the class of 2021, still came out on top.”
The theme song, entitled “We Are Strong” followed the Valedictorian’s speech. The Vote of Thanks was then delivered by the Salutatorian, Mr. Jevonte Reese, after which the graduated Class of 2021 was introduced by Principal Michael Skellekie.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
