graduation essay

ST AUGUSTINE SECONDARY SCHOOL
GRADUATION VALEDICTORIAN SPEECH

Good morning to my fellow graduates, Madam Principal, Vice Principal, Parents, Teachers and specially invited guests. We! are graduating this morning. Can you believe that just five years ago we were in the very same positions as the current form ones are now? As we walked into these halls some of us were nervous, scared, some may have even been anxious on the first day of school. we had to figure out how we were going to fit in, in such a big school. We were the freshmen the low men of the totem pole but as time progressed we got more comfortable with the school, the other students, the teachers and with each other. Now five years later we're leaving the school behind to a whole new crop of students. it has been a long five years and a short five years. long, because of all the drama an tedious homework, the boring reading and the late-nights into early-morning trying to finish a project or an SBA and all the other little pratfalls that hit us in school. Short because of the lifelong friendships, the lasting memories and truly interesting and amazing things we learned between the occasional bits of drudgery. but good or bad, long or short we will always remember this place and all of our teachers who helped us along the way. Our hard working teachers helped us organize this entire ceremony and the grand ball at the HYATT tomorrow. i think they deserve a round of applause for that.
The end is very emotional. There's bound to be a lot of tears and nostalgia. What we fail to remember is that the end is simply the transitory phase before something else begins. We're going to miss all the good times we had here and all of the people we have bonded with, but dwelling on the past is like selling yourself short of all the bigger better things the world has to offer..... so shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among stars.
St. Augustine Secondary is a very unique school. there is absolutely no other school quite like the 'Green Machine' . If it weren't against the rules i would bet all the money in my pocket (though it isn't much) that there is no other school in Trinidad that's ever had a riot for boxlunch,rhythm section and all. No other school, I'm sure has come to a point where they had to appoint boxlunch police as we at this school called them and I think my friend Tekeel can especially relate to that.
I, like everyone of the graduating class of 2013, will recall the football games where the entire school would fill up the stands, the drama festivals that we had the honour of hosting right here in our very own school hall, and all the achievements we have madeand the trophies we have won over the years, not just because we are popular school but because we strive for excellance as our motto says. But St Augustine isn't just about the sports and the drama. Beforeus right now in these front rows are this country's future leaders. At our recent achievement day students received awards in different subject areas that proved the students can strive in their own unique way. The majority of students who wrote the CXC exam in January obtained favorable results. Many students got one's, two's and some may have even gotten three's but that still says that you are capable and you are willing to put out the effort to achieve your goals. Even the ones that didn't do so well can strive toward improving their academic performance. Keep your head up, and keep trying because you are never a failure until you give up.
Over the five years we became more concerned with what type of shoes we wore, who had the best looking Jansport bag and all the other material things that didn't even matter because at the end of it all despite our differences, we are really all one big family, one big family despite the different career paths we choose. some of us may stay here to do A'levels, some may go to UWI,SBCS or ROYTEC and some may go to trade schools because this school is filled with talented individuals. others may even take a year or two off to figure out what exactly they what to do with their lives because sometimes you only realize what you are suppose to be doing by doing what you are not supposed to do.
So, Graduates we urge you to remember that coming from the best, you should be your best and anywhere you go, you burn with the brightest flame, so every must know that you came from St Augustine..........Oh and one more thing to remember.......
WHO IS THE BEST? GUSTINE! IN THE EAST AND THE WEST GUSTINE! WHO RUN THE ROUTE (ROUTH)? IN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH GUSTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!