Seventy-three pupils have moved along to the next step in their lives as they graduated from the Dominica Grammar School under the theme ‘You Are Not A Product Of Your Circumstances, You Are A Product Of Your Decisions.’
On Monday June 19th, family, friends and well-wishers gathered at the Arawak House of Culture to witness the students bid farewell to the institution which groomed them for the future.
Hon Minister for Education, Petter Saint Jean reminded the graduating class of Government’s continued to creating avenues for all students to achieve.
“The Government of Dominica has sought to address the challenges that affect every student by ensuring that you are given a support system that would ensure success at the high school level and further afield. With such a support system, I am convinced that if you are motivated and ambitious enough, cultural circumstances including age, gender, and family background should not serve as an obstacle but rather as a catalyst for you to achieve.”
Featured speaker at the event, Alvin Knight, a past student of the Dominica Grammar School, told the students to be mindful of the decisions which they make, as these decisions may determine how successful they are in achieving their goals.
“’Fellars’ if you decide to walk the streets exposing your boxers and a potential employer sees you and decides he does not want an ex-convict in his establishment, that was your choice, not the circumstance. You ladies, if you decide to walk the streets exposing parts of your body, that should only be seen in your bedroom or perhaps on the beach…mothers you can clap but your children leave your house dressed that way, so it is your decision, your choice to have your children walk about the streets that way.”
Valedictorian, Caleb Toussaint, shared these words with his fellow classmates:
“We will be going out into the world each of us on different paths, following different dreams. May you have every success; may you work hard and play straight; may you hold your head high and may our paths still cross from time to time and may you go with all your heart.”
Three students graduated with honours, one with distinction and ten with merit.