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| Graduating class turns tassels as official graduants of GSS |
Charlestown Nevis (November 24, 2006) Principal of the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS) Mr. Keith Glasgow, while delivering the 2005/2006 School Report during the 2006 Graduation Ceremony on Thursday 23, told the graduants that they should apply the virtue of excellence in all aspects of their lives.
He noted that academic excellence should not only be a high score on a paper and pencil test or technical competency but, 'it should mean a high score in ethical behaviour as well'.
"Think about it for a moment," he added. "If you are able to pass 10 subjects but cannot work with anybody, have poor skills and cannot cope with life, then your talent would not be fully utilised."
In wishing the graudants all the best in their future endeavours, Mr. Glasgow said excellence was never an accident but the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skilful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.
The graduating and prize giving ceremony, which was held at the school's auditorium under the theme, "Incorporating Ethics into the Realm of Academic Excellence," saw 72 students graduate with the school recording 24 distinctions and 100 percent passes in six subject areas in the 2006 CXC Examinations.
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Principal Glasgow passes the torch to Valedictorian as a symbol of Completion of passage through the Gingerland Secondary School |
The principal who acknowledged the result as 'a moderately successfully one' said that although the school had lost the battle in stabilizing or improving the CXC General pass rate, the war was not lost. "Sixty six percent can be described as creditable and there was remarkable success in other areas of school activity."
He pointed to several obstacles saying, 'the top school leaving class (5A1) was small, a mere 17 students which represented 36.17 percent of the school leaving students writing CXC General/Technical subjects; the entire school leaving group was never rated as very high academic achievers.
He said that there were the issues of the lenient policy adopted by the school which allowed students to write CXC General Subjects and the lack of library facilities to enhance the leaning environment and the inability to attract qualified and quality teachers for a quality education in the core area of mathematics.
Reverend Sonia Herbert, who delivered the keynote address with much passion, expressed that the theme chosen for the graduating ceremony was timely and relevant. She told the graduating class that the world lay before them and that their future was filled with bright possibilities.
"Arm yourself with good character. Let ethical principles guide your choices and actions for this will determine the extent to which you will meet with true success. Live your lives with integrity, put principle above personality, service before self and giving before receiving." ~~adz:Right~~
She told the gathering which included Premier and Minister of Education, the Hon. Joseph Parry, Junior Minister of Physical Planning, the Hon. Carlisle Powell, Education officials, parents and well wishers, that many of the students would pursue higher education and called on them to do so with integrity.
"You will want all the trappings associated with the good life (money, comfort, luxury). Do not comprise your character in these pursuits. Do not for one moment entertain the thought that moral excellence can be divorced from true spirituality."
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Premier and Minister of Education, the Hon. Joseph Parry (r) and Minister of Physical Planning, the Hon. Carlisle Powell attend GSS Graduation |
"You and I need the help of a power greater than ourselves to enable us to overcome vice; to resist the temptations from without and within we need God. Church, Christianity and the Bible are best appreciated only when we have lost them. We cannot wait until then. Go to church," said Reverend Herbert.
Mr. Runnel Freeman, Valedictorian of the 2006 CXC Examination told his fellow graduants that it had been a good five years but as usual, all good things must come to an end. He encouraged them to go out into the world and with the lessons they had leaned at the Gingerland Secondary School, to set their future goals and strive to achieve them.
"We may make mistakes but failure to lean from them is the only real future. Remember to always uphold the standards set here for us and use our motto, "Through Difficulties to the Stars" as your guiding principle."
The ceremony was held under the distinguish patronage of Ms Yvette Lawrence and chaired by Pastor Joseph Morton.
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| A view of the gallery |
