One chapter closed and another started at St Giles

After completing the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination, pupils of the St. Giles Primary School formally ended their journey at the Ivy, St Michael-based institution recently.

They were bedecked in their school uniforms and an accompanying brightly coloured pink sash bearing the school’s name for the morning graduation ceremony conducted at the nearby Government Hill-located Seventh Day Adventist Church. The closure of this chapter of their lives was accompanied by a riveting speech from Member of Parliament for the City, Corey Lane.

In his feature address, Lane heralded the students as conquerors having endured a hurricane, ashfall and a pandemic. He cautioned that their entrance to secondary school would also have its own challenges.

“There is a whole slew of things that you will be exposed to, but because of the nurturing, good parenting and good teaching that you would have received from home and St. Giles’ Primary School, there are lots of tools that you now have in your toolbox to determine whether you will continue to conquer the things that will be coming at you or whether you will be conquered,” he said.

Lane added that in their life experiences they would also encounter excellence, discipline, and determination.

“There will be paths and choices that you have as you start your new journey into your secondary school life and beyond,” he said, as he implored them to choose wisely.

In her presentation of the year in review, principal Gloria Caines highlighted the accomplishments of her teaching staff. Among those excelling was Andrea Williams who gained a Master’s in Educational Leadership, while Alison Cumberbatch gained a distinction in the post-graduate diploma in Educational Leadership. Caines chronicled the challenges that this cohort of students experienced.

However, she added that the St. Giles’ team rose to the occasion, recognised the deficits and implemented techniques which included giving students specialised attention. She also lauded parents for their high level
of involvement.

“I want to encourage parents, do not let this interest die down, as the children go on to secondary school keep that interest alive,” she implored them.

After the students were presented with their prizes by former principal Dr. Sandra Anderson, a Ceremony of the Flame was conducted in which students representing the graduating class passed the proverbial reins over to students who would be entering Class 4 this coming September.

In the closing moments, the graduating class of 2022 regaled the audience with the school song.

(STT)