A very good morning to our Principal, Mrs Bay, Vice-Principals Mrs Tan, Mr Azhar, teachers and fellow schoolmates. I am very honoured to be standing on this stage, giving you this speech to mark this special occasion.
First of all, I would like to thank Mrs Bay, Mrs Tan and Mr Azhar for sincerely giving us the education that we needed. You have given us a platform to showcase our talents and learn good values so as to shape us into well-rounded students.
Well my friends, we did it - we graduated! 4 years went by just like that! We sat in this very hall on our first day of school, nervous to start a new chapter in our lives and here we are now, happy and sad to be closing that chapter. Looking back, I can’t help but smile at the hilarious hairstyles we donned, the high-pitched voices of the guys and the old obsessions we used to have.
But then we realised that Secondary School wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. This turned out to be even more accurate in Secondary 4. The pressure of doing well in the ‘O’- Levels examinations, has already kicked in. When we first started, many of us were lost and unsure about what we should do and where to begin. And when we did start learning and revising, we felt this huge urge to jump off Mount Everest. We were expected to learn the Cosine Rule and revise 4 years of education?! ‘Stress’ was such an understatement.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to go through this gruesome journey alone. We had the help of our teachers to clarify our doubts and ensure that we stay strong. To our dearest form teachers, Miss Goy and Miss Sarah, thank you so much for ensuring that we’ve got our heads together and that we didn’t do anything we might regret later. You have taken good care of us and made sure we remain motivated to excel in our studies.
To our English teacher, Miss Yani, thank you for always making our days a little lighter by sharing your stories of your adventures and life lessons. That one time we learned a little French in class reminded us to brush up on the language because if we pronounced
‘Lingerie’ (lahn-zhuh-rey) as ‘Lingerie’ (Ling-geri), then we definitely won’t be able to make it
in France.
To our Math teacher, Miss Goy, thank you for being patient with us despite our colourful methods of solving Math problems. Your signature line “Do you want to see a flying marker?” and expensive sound effects definitely cracked us up.
To our Science teachers, Miss Leo, Mrs Lim, Mr Ang and Mr Ong, thank you for going all out to explain Science concepts to us. You have made it easier for us to answer questions confidently.
To our POA teacher, Miss Tan, you’ve managed to make POA concepts so much easier to comprehend. Your step-by-step guides in doing questions have tremendously helped us.When getting our attention is too hard, the words “Joker, ah, joker” and “Monkey see, monkey do” would suffice.
To the other teachers who have taught us from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4, you will not be forgotten. All of you have made an impact in our lives, in one way or another. The guidance and advice given by you will always have a special place in our hearts.
Now, my dearest classmates take some time and look back on what happened this year. Remember when Rachel was our class mascot -the dolphin- for this year’s Cross Country? I’m sure everyone noticed her jumping up and down, cheering us on to finish the run. Or what about the Racial Harmony Day Celebration when almost everyone came in traditional outfits to school? I don’t know about you, but I was very proud that our class participated in the event actively. We had so much fun playing traditional games like Hopscotch and Zero Point in our outfits. The ladies had a challenging time jumping above the long rubber band in their Cheongsams and Sarees. Inevitably, no one can forget the agonizing S3P lessons. Time seemed to tick so slowly until Break Time came and suddenly, all of us were alive!
But it’s the little moments that emphasise on our unity. Like when Sharok belts out his oh, so hilarious laughter and the whole class laughs along. It’s amazing how one person’s laughter can cause a domino effect! Or what about Justyn’s unique sneeze? It just puts on a smile on everyone’s faces.
My friends, we’ve gone through a lot in the span of 4-5 years. Some of us may have gone through tougher times than others. But you know what? We made it! Despite all the stressful, disappointing and heart-breaking times, we’re all seated here, graduating. Take these last few weeks in school to thank everyone who’s helped you get through because none of us made it on our own. Yes, this is a stressful time but let’s not give up. We’ve already gone went through 3-4 years of secondary school, let’s not put this last lap to waste. This is the time for us to prove to ourselves that we can do it.
So here’s to the 4 to 5 years that we’ve been in Bartley Secondary School, to the upcoming O-Levels, to the Principal and Vice-Principals who have provided a well-rounded education for us, to the committed teachers who are always willing to help us, to all the amazing friends we’ve made and will keep with us forever, to the exhilarating and disappointing times, to the humiliating moments and most importantly, with God’s will, to a happy and fruitful future.
To us, the graduating class of 2013! Thank You!