Graduation & Kindergarten Closing Ceremony

written by Massaquoi Schilling, Director of Children of Africa School System School

The Children of Africa School System - CASS celebrated its final graduation and kindergarten graduation program at the Spiritual Temple AG Church on July 20, 2024.

Normally, the program allows for the graduation of students who have completed the courses of study prescribed by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Liberia at the kindergarten level. The distribution of transcripts to parents from kindergarten through grade 11 is also a core component of this assembly.

The graduation program usually comes with a mixture of emotions for the students as promotions, failures, and vacation school are the options to consider.

This year, the master of ceremonies, 11th grade student Hamid Varney, called the program to order at 11:00 a.m., beginning with the procession of graduates. As usual, the procession included the guest speaker, administrators, and teachers. The graduates, all dressed in royal blue and white gowns, glided in front of the processional line.

The audience sang the opening song, and the invocation was given by Sampson Carr, a student in the first grade. Senior Rachel Nelson also gave the welcome.

Student Sando Fahnbulleh introduced the program; an event that included a procession, invocation, speeches, performances by the graduating class, and remarks from a cross-section of the program.

After an exquisite performance by the class of perseverance, a powerful speech was delivered by student Rebecca Nelson, the valedictorian of the class. student Nelson took the podium and thanked God for the privilege of being named valedictorian of her class, pointing out that other strong students could have taken the place. In her valedictory speech, she thanked the administration, teaching and support staff, parents and Kinder Afrikas e.V. for their continued support of her education. She urged her colleagues not to be satisfied with the milestones they had achieved, but to continue to strive for more.

She concluded by asking the administration to kindly continue the weekly feeding program, which is a real motivation for the children to stay at the school. She also prayed for the completion of the auditorium, which will serve as a home for many intellectual events. Finally, she hopes that an increase in the teachers' salaries will serve as a boost for their continued struggle for academic excellence.

The guest speaker, Mr. Prince B. Kollie, in his motivational talk titled "The transforming power of education", asserted that a better society is the product of its educated population. In his speech, Mr. Kollie identified some individuals who are responsible if education is to be genuine and transformative:

• Parents: He emphasized that parents are the foundation for the education of their children. It is imperative that they make the decision to educate their children and provide the domestic and financial support to keep them in school.

• Administrators: He noted that a good school is the product of a disciplined administration. Mr. Kollie used the school's motto "Exercising Integrity" to support his point. He said it is always good to lead by example; a recipe that works well.

• Teachers: Speaking of teachers, he said that no one influences a child like a teacher. He said that a good teacher supports his students in a meaningful way without exploitation of any kind. He urged the teachers to continue to live with integrity as the work of their hands is evident in the excellent performance of the students.

Finally, he urged the students to see themselves as the true beneficiaries of this collective effort. He advised them to make their education a priority, as it is the only true gift a parent or anyone can give them.

He concluded by reaffirming his confidence in the school's administration and faculty for their outstanding performance over the years. Throughout the program, the parent community could not hold back their applause as they watched their children excel.

In all things, student Hamid Varney of Class 11 stood tall as the overall Dux of the school for the academic year 2023/2024.

After a series of speeches followed by the benediction, the colorful program ended with cheerful parents receiving their children's progress reports and taking their graduates home for further celebrations.

Sincerely, our glory as a school is fueled by the continued support of Kinder Afrikas. Your continued support inspires us to continue and we are truly grateful.