Graduation! Graduation!! Graduation!!!


“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.”-B. C. Forbes

The month of June every year brings to an end the academic year in most countries around the world. Around that time schools hold graduation ceremonies mostly for their final year students who are either moving on to high level on the education ladder or entering the working world. This June, I was fortunate to be at a High School graduation and a Middle School graduation in Toronto. At both ceremonies I was proud to see some Ghanaian-Canadian students walk the dais to receive their diplomas! I could see the joy in the eyes of the parents who were present to support their children on such memorable occasion during one’s education journey known as GRADUATION.

Graduation is a benchmark of student achievement, and therefore it is NOT wrong to celebrate such success in grand style at every ‘growth’ on the educational ladder!

Others refer to graduation as ‘the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Graduation ceremonies usually include a procession of the academic staff and candidates. Speeches are given at the ceremonies by speakers such as the heads of the institution, renowned educationists, politicians and most importantly valedictorians chosen from among the graduating classes.
Another important landmark of most graduations is the theme selected for the ceremony. Each year, teachers and graduating classes work hard to get suitable themes. For example, this year at Brookview Middle School in Toronto, the theme selected for our graduation ceremony is: The Future is Now, Seize the Moment! Expanding on such a theme students wrote this:

If you dare to seize the moment it shall lead you to accomplishment.
Yet many people are afraid of achieving their dreams by themselves!
But you are not alone, for, your friends have grown and shown
As Michael Jackson once sung,
“You are not alone
I am here with you though we are far apart
You are always in my heart”

They continued:

Your friends will be there for you-always a member of your “middle school” crew!
So don’t let moving forward pull you down
For you are graduating with honors and a gown
Carrying unforgettable memories as you seize opportunities.
In the United States, besides "commencement," the term "graduation" is also used in schools below university level such as the high school, middle school and even kindergarten and preschool ceremonies.

In Japan, graduation ceremonies are in March followed by entrance ceremonies in April. This coincides with the Japanese school calendar and the Japanese government fiscal year. Graduation is also related to the changing of the seasons and is often reflected in the ceremony decor and related advertising (i.e. new uniforms, backpacks, school supplies...).

In our motherland, Ghana, less or no attention is given to graduation ceremonies until one reaches the tertiary level of education.

Graduation! Graduation!! Graduation!!! To me as an educationist, graduation ceremonies officially mark the ‘growth’ that a student attains at different levels of his/her education journey. Graduates from Middle School and High School, in particular, should not be complacent of their ‘growth’ and rest on their oars as they journey on! Graduation is a ‘growth’ that comes with responsibility.

I take this opportunity to congratulate all graduates of 2012. To all I say “AYEKOO”!

By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview MS, Toronto