Valedictory Address

To our honored guest, to our principal Dr. Teresita Irma S. Dy-Cok, to our beloved teachers and mentors; to our valued parents; to my fellow graduates; and to all of us gathered here today, good morning!

It is an honor for me to stand before all of you at this very moment. Before my eyes, I can see very one of us, students, as a gift wrapped in amazing ways. We are gifts ready to be taken and to be received by the people around us. It is amazing that God never ran out of surprises. That is why everything in life will always be a gift. Our parents provided us with our basic needs. They protected our innocence and they even gave their best to provide answers so that they can satisfy our curiosity. But the time as come when our home was not enough to capture the knowledge our world has to offer. So our parents gathered their courage to release us from our comfort zones. Thank you so much, our dear parents for the freedom and sacrifices you gave us.

We received another gift in the form of our educators; we embark on another journey in life. Through their guidance, we savored the fruit of patience, perseverance, discipline, and leadership. These are just some of the wonders we earned when we discovered the treasures of learning. Because of your gifts of learning, my dear educators, we were able to make a step on the ladder of success. Thank you for wrapping us with love and care. The learning experience we had in our beloved school wont be complete without your personal touch your human connection. Thank you for going the extra mile especially at times when we were unruly, impatient and apathetic. You never gave up on us during those times, rather you motivated us to change for the better.

As much as we are grateful to receive the gift of learning, we are highly expected and highly challenged to share these gifts to others. The path ahead of us is not easy. Reality tells us that the world needs men and women who will stand up for the truth, justice and peace. There is a battle against greed, corruption, immorality, poverty and youth delinquency. It is very timely to cultivate and maximize the gifts of learning, in order to win these social battles.

The prizes and awards we earned; the grades written on our scorecards were just the icing on a cakes, much like the ribbons on a gift. What matters most is that when people unwrap us, we are beautiful gifts inside and out. We are a successful harvest of youth with integrity. May the gift of learning be a beautiful source of knowledge, wisdom, along with skills, and proper attitude are things that we gain not only for ourselves, for our family or for our school. It is also for our country and for the greater glory of God.

To my fellow graduates and batch mates, the end of our elementary years is a beginning of self-discovery and greater heights. As we leave the fortress of our haven of learning, let us continue the good work! Let us build a nation and a future with hope! Congratulations to all of us_____________________________________________________________________________________A Valedictory Address :

I arrive today to this moment, standing facing a new frontier. Before this moment pass me by, let me take each detail, each piece of memories, each body of thoughts, the knowledge, the wisdom, the important lifes lessons, all the gifts and blessings that this moment is giving me so I could take them with me to my travel to the future.

My dear classmates, are you taking the memories like me?

Do you still remember the first time we stepped to the grounds of this school, the Elementary School we will forever carry wherever the future takes us from here. Did you keep our shared laughters? The laughter forever sweet in our memories. Engrave them in your hearts, they are the laughter so pure we could always go back whenever we face the bitter taste of life that we are sure to stumble upon as we face the consequences of growing. Value the friendship we built here, they hold the purest elements of camaraderie and partnership that we need as we befriend the world.

Feel the comfort of the chairs where you are seated now, the floor where your feet are rested, breath the air, the scent of our dear school ~

If you could hold the hands of our classmates beside you, feel that gentle yet strong grip . . . .

(Note : Invite everybody at this point to hold hands and please allow some time for seatmates to enjoy the moment)

The memory of their grips will remind us that we will be forever safe wherever our futures would take us when we leave this grounds and get out of the gates of this campus that will forever hold the moments when we took our baby steps taking in the knowledge that helped form the young muscles of our minds so we would be ready.

Listen to the sounds of triumph that we all hear at this moment.

Capture all the elements that we could possibly get from here -

The scents of our notepads and erasers, of our bags, of the pencils and scented pens, when we were just learning to form the first letters, write our first words and draw our first flowers.

The many rains that showered us in our way to school and back home, and its sound as the rainfalls hit the roof of our classroom when we were just learning to count and pronounce our ABCs

The sunlights that lit our faces, the sunshine thats forever bright in our memories, and will forever remind us of the first exercise and dance steps we learn from our PE.

The feel of our desk, the colors of our classroom, the taste of the hundred snacks we shared.

Memorize the faces that helped pave the way for us to arrive to this victory, that made our first triumphs possible :

Our parents ~ Gods angels that built our homes and sent us to school.

Our families that supported us so we learn the basic lessons of how it is to stand and to take steps in our first walk in our journeys with life.

Our classmates and friends, who made us feel for the first time that we belong outside our homes in the safety of their company.

Our dear Teachers, our second parents in school, who fed us with all the knowledge every step of the way, from kindergarten, to grade one, to grade six, and now that this journey is about to end, as we are about to take a leap to next stage. We fear not because we are ready, they prepared us for this, to face the many battles we will face as we step to the roads to our future. Remember their voices that equipped us with the weapons and armour, these are the voices that will remind us of the power of knowledge they ingrained our young minds.

Remember our dear Principal, who helped us build our backbones in education, wherever the paths of the academe will take us, we would always trace back our beginnings from here. We should always be grateful to our principal for designing and sending us the most basic and complete, yet non-complicated map so we would not get lost no matter how blurry the visibilities of the terrains in the forest, and deserts, and jungles, and ocean, and prairies, and mountains, and skyscrapers of the cities of whatever profession that we will fly in our pursuits for knowledge to make the difference and make our corners of the world a better place to live.

We hold in our minds that map and if we uphold what we have learned, we will be sure to reach our destinations safe.

Remember that our parents, our teachers, our principal are once like you and I, too. They have arrived to where they are right now, and we their children, their pupils and the knowledge that they nourished us are their contribution to the the future they only thought about when they were our age dreaming about this very moment where we are now. Our triumphs and our achievements are their victories, too.

Let us thank them with our prayers, may our little voices would reach Gods ears to bless them. Let us pay them tribute and pass on their kindness by becoming the best versions of ourselves that they wanted all of us to become, nothing less. Wherever our journeys will take us, we will always trace our roots in this grounds, we are always anchored in their arms, in their hearts. Like kites we are safe in our flights because our strings are in the safety of their caring hands.

Let me read to you a poem written by my uncle, let this poem be my message to everybody who once were children, too.

Child Once, Too

Let the child run free, uphills or down plains

Like a gazelle that gallops in prairies.

Let him swim in lakes, bathe in rains

And coquette like the mystical fairies.

Censor him not for he is free from stains

Trust not the filthy mind of the gentries.

Free the child from the restraining chains

And from the customs narrow boundaries.

Let him be for his generations gains ~

Allow the children to weave their stories.

And now, as we celebrate this milestones in our young life, let us celebrate this moment with grateful hearts. Our graduation today is our contribution to the future from the seeds that we are now, will spring bright citizens of our country that will help sustain and make the difference. We will be taking different highways from this little road, we will explore the wide skies from this runway as we take off, we will reach distant shores as we leave this harbour of our elementary school as proud graduates ready to help build the future for the generations to come.

For our friends, until we meet again.

For our guest of honor, thank you for the inspiration, may our little victory will serve as an inspiration for you, too, that you could take and share the next time you are invited to speak for a graduation ceremony.

For our Teachers and Principal, this is not goodbye, this is just asking your permission, and for your blessings as we take off please wish us well.

For our parents and family, we offer to you our first accomplishment of the many triumphs and honors we will bring home from now.

For my dear classmates, let us open our minds and our hearts for growth. The future promises unlimited possibilities that are in our hands and are for us to seize and to hold. Always take the bright routes to the future, when the roads are seem dark in some days, take refuge and find the guidance of the little lamp post of the memories from this moment and we will never get lost.

Let us thank God for this moment. Let us thank Him for all the people, the extension of His love, His angels that He sent to make sure all that we have now and our future will happen. It is written.

And when we reach our destinations please let us not forget to look back and send signals to our dear school, that we have reached our destinations and that we have arrived

Valedictory Speech

Dr. Marl Ferenal, our President; Ms. Avic Suarez, our Principal; Mr. Paolo Reyes, our guest speaker; the administration, faculty and staff; parents and guests; my fellow graduates; good morning to all of you!

March 30, 2012. I think we will all agree that this day is definitely not ordinary. Today, we acknowledge the people met, the lessons learned, the tears shed, the laughter relished, and the memories made in our six years as elementary students. Today, we show our teachers, our parents, and most importantly ourselves that were no longer children. Today we show the world that we are ready to take on the next stage of our academic life: High School.

Im very honored to stand before all of you today as the Valedictorian of Class 2012, not only because of the awards that I have garnered but more so because Im part of a truly outstanding batch - a batch that has achieved so much, a batch where everyone is talented in different fields. With this, let me thank some of the people who have made my achievements possible. I might not be able to mention all of you by name, but rest assured that Im infinitely grateful to everyone who has put me on this stage today.

I would like to thank God first and foremost. Without Him, none of these would have been possible. I would also like to thank my parents, Atty. Manny Riguera and Atty. Hazel Riguera. All of my achievements are not only mine, but also theirs, because without their hard work and encouragement, I would not be standing here and speaking to all of you today. Thank you, Dad and Mom, for letting me be, but always under your supervision and guidance. Thank you for giving me the opportunities to explore and to discover my full potential, not only inside but also outside the four walls of Southville.

To all the teachers I have had in my life, thank you. All of you have contributed to who I am today, and although I am far from perfect, I believe that Im a much better person than the person I would have been had I not met all of you. To Ms. Jen Gaddi and Ms. Gladys Mintu, my advisers for grades 3 and 4 respectively, at Munich campus, thank you for guiding me while I was still adjusting to a new environment. To Ms. Icka Santos and Mr. Xander Siose, my advisers for grades 5 and 6 respectively at the Luxembourg campus, thank you for helping me go past my comfort zones, and giving me inspiration when I needed it most.

To all my friends, classmate or not, thank you very much. Andrea, Kelsie and Yifei, thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin. Thank you for believing in me even when I didnt believe in myself. Yoojung, Eggy, and Russell, thank you for consistently reminding me that I am not perfect, and that I will never be as awesome or as tall as you guys are. When others were all praise for me, you never failed to remind me that I am not perfect. Kim and Maija, my two fangirl buddies, I thank you for bringing me into the new world of K Pop. To the cast and crew of Seussical Jr., thank you for giving me one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. It has been an honor to get to know all of you. It was great spending three months of rehearsal and recording hours with the cast who were from different levels in Southville, from preschool to college. To our Seussical director, Ms. Icka Santos, her sister Ms. Kookee and her mother Ms. Lena Santos, thank you. I learned not only the rudiments of acting. I further learned the essence of my sections name - PERSEVERANCE. And to the rest of my classmates and friends, thank you for making my four-year stay at Southville a memorable one.

I can still remember the days when I was a new student at Southville. That was when I was in grade three. As a new student I was on academic and disciplinary probation, which meant that if I failed in any subject, I would be asked to leave. Back then, all I wanted was to stay in Southville. But as I slowly adjusted to my new environment, I realized that I wanted to aim higher. I couldnt aim for just a green certificate, or a gold medal. I wanted to be the valedictorian.

Henry Ford said that obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. To my mentors and friends, thank you so much to all of you for straightening my perspective when I fearfully glanced to the side. You have made me realize that the only true limits are those that we impose upon ourselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. My batch mates, when we walk out of Gym 1 today with our diplomas in hand, we will no longer be elementary students. As soon as the summer ends we are going to have to take on heavier responsibilities, learn new lessons, and reach for more goals.

Let us never allow the worlds definition of what is possible keep us from achieving what we want to achieve. Let us not only dream big, let us dream grandly. Let us not only reach for the mountaintop, let us reach for the stars.

Batch 2012, let us blaze a trail and make a difference!