The Class of 2023 of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (ALHCS) graduated on Tuesday, October 17th, under the theme: “The Success of ‘I’ is in the Story of ‘We’.
One hundred and forty-two students walked the aisle at the end of their five years at the secondary institute. For some, it is off to Sixth Form. Others to travel overseas to pursue careers, while still others are hoping to obtain gainful employment. Yet others may be attracted to pursuing online courses or perhaps enlisting at the local University of the West Indies Open Campus, or the Community College.
Whatever, their choice, Pastor Dwayne Adams of the Central Baptist Church prayed in part, at the opening of the ceremony: “Lord we pray for our children. We pray that they would remain grounded in your word and in the advice and wisdom of their parents and that which had been imparted to them by their teachers. Let their minds continue to grow in knowledge, wisdom and discernment, Lord. Please protect their bodies from disease, violence and injury, but most importantly, we pray for their souls.”
Chairperson Mrs. Aunika Webster-Lake congratulated the graduands and welcomed the audience, “There is such great truth in the success of ‘I’ through the story of ‘we’. It is often said it takes a village to raise a child, but at times that village may be just one person – somebody who gets you where you need to go. And by the number of persons who are here today, I can see the success of ‘I’ being brought out by ‘we’.”
The Honourable Minister of Education Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, in her brief address told the graduands: “The greatest story of your success lies in the fact that you did not get here on your individual strengths. As your theme suggests, the true success over the last five years has come from the time and the collective effort of yourself, and those around you. That combined effort has brought you here today.”
“It is not just your effort,” she said, “but collectively it is through your effort, that of your teachers, your parents, and your other supporters, that you have arrived at this point.”
Mr. Zharnel Hughes
She pointed out that each individual student has a story that matters. The story of the class of 2023 matters,” she said. “So congratulations, Class. The success of the ‘we’ is here today.”
World renowned sprinter, Anguilla’s very own Zharnel Hughes, was the Keynote Speaker. He recounted the rigours of the humble path that he set out on for his journey to success and stardom, starting out as a ten-year-old runner of the Orealia Kelly Primary School (OKPS). He reminded the graduands that they too can be successful at whatever they put their minds to.
“I want to thank my coaches there at OKPS, my alma mater,” he said. “Thanks to Teacher Collin, Teacher Ruth, Teacher Rollins, Alexis Ryan, Heather Richardson and Winston Duncan, who instilled within me the will to become the athlete that I am today. They have helped me tremendously, and I appreciate it.”
“I will never forget where I have come from,” he said. “That is a principle that my mom has instilled in me as a young child. To this day, I am led by that concept. I consider myself to be a humble individual. Many people become overwhelmed by success. But for me, I keep on a steady path of humility.”
Speaking directly to the graduands, he said: “I want to encourage you all to remain focused. Set your goals for whatever you wish to accomplish in life, for anything is possible.”
Zharnel also brought in the element of God’s direction upon young lives: “I will never forget where God has brought me from,” he claimed. “When I started out as a sprinter, I did not have any spikes. I had always heard about the benefits of spikes and how they aid in running, but I did not have any. Today, I say thanks to Alexis Ryan who helped me to get a pair. From there, throughout all of my achievements, God has helped me. After getting my spikes I went off at the age of 16 to represent Anguilla in Barcelona.”
“It is important to set goals. I wrote down that I would break the UK’s [thirty-year] record and I broke it. One must be determined,” he said. “Now I have set a goal to fly high in aviation, and I am training as a pilot. So I would like encourage you. Do not limit yourself. Be inspired to push forward and achieve whatever you want to be. Not because Anguilla is small on the map, it does not mean that you should think small. There are great possibilities out there, so think big and showcase yourself.”
Hughes left with the graduands with a quote by Nelson Mandela, which says: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; but our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
“Then, there is another quote from the Bible which I love to follow,” he said. “It is from Philippians 4:13, and it says, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.’ I thank you!”
Following the Key Note Address, the ALHCS Choir sang “A New Day”. (The ALHCS Band had played “You’ll Never Walk Alone” earlier.)
The Presentation of Certificates and Awards followed, after which the Principal, Mrs. Rita Celestine-Carty, gave her congratulatory remarks:
“We are here to celebrate the Class of 2023,” she stated. “Class of 2023, you have made it. You can breathe a sigh of relief now. You have earned your seat and you should be proud of yourselves.” She told them that their parents, grandparents, and their guardians were proud of them as well.
“Almost every family represented here wanted to bring the metaphorical village that helped to raise you to be a part of this auspicious occasion. They wanted to help us celebrate you as you achieve the status of graduate of the ALHCS. So, feel lucky, know that you are blessed and give thanks,” she said.
“Now, I want you to take the time to interpret your theme, the one you chose. Interpret it to somebody – anybody – even more than one person,” she challenged them. “For your own sake and for the sake of our community, I want you to process and express what it means and to affirm that the success of ‘I’ is the story of ‘we’…”
Then, in a somber tone the Principal stated: “This afternoon, we cannot fail to acknowledge that untold grief is right now being experienced at our school, particularly in the case of your own classmate and all those who have come to support her. We cannot fail to acknowledge, in the midst of this long-awaited celebration, that a school child has lost his life and another was seriously wounded during a school day in Anguilla. This is not to be.”
“And, if I would interpret your theme correctly,” she said, “it is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that this scourge does not continue to characterize us as an Anguillian community. Yet, we have made it here, and for that we are thankful as a school…”
The highest achieving Fifth Form student was Ms. Rayana Webster, who also delivered the Farewell Address.
After relating many of the fond, not so fond, and critical memories of the times she spent with her classmates from the moment she entered the school, she declared: “It was worth it, because the memories we made were priceless – the good and the bad.”
“At times it was hard to find the motivation to keep going,” she said, “but the stress, sweat and tears led us to be able to walk across this stage today. We performed under immense pressure and far from ideal circumstances, and we finished well.”
“I am glad that I had been surrounded by classmates who banded together as a student body to advocate for our needs respectfully,” Ms. Webster said. “I hope that we all continue to use our voices for the right causes, and that we do not allow ourselves or others to be maltreated…”
She expressed gratitude to the indispensible parents and teachers of the Class of 2023: “I would like to take this moment to thank all the parents today for being the biggest stakeholder in your child’s education. This is your day too, and you should be proud to see the fruits of your investments. To my parents, I thank you for always encouraging me and pushing me to do my best. This moment would not be possible without you…Furthermore, I would like to thank all of our teachers and staff of the ALHCS for helping us to reach this milestone. You played an instrumental role in our lives, and we are forever grateful…”
“Now, this is farewell,” she said. “We might see each other again in Sixth Form or at work, or maybe we might never see each other again. But, regardless of that, we can share this moment, right here; right now. So take it all in for this is another chapter completed. Thank you!”
To close out the ceremony, The Young Masters Steel Ensemble played “Hallelujah” as a steel pan piece. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by graduand Mya Lake.
