This graduation season, the Beacon is publishing excerpts from various valedictory addresses.
Where do I begin? Ah, yes! With thanks! On behalf of the Elmore Stoutt High School Class of 2011, I must express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father. The Lord is everything. Without him, this would not have been possible. Isaiah 40:29-31 says, “He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”
Additionally we would like to thank the Virgin Islands community, the department and ministry of Education, staff and administrators of ESHS, our parents and families, and each other. Each of these entities was invaluable in the making of this glorious celebration.
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Hard work
As I look back at my time spent here, I realise that I’ve learnt many important life lessons at ESHS. There are two in particular that I hold close to my heart as we head out for bigger and better things.
The first I learnt in my first term of fourth form. [Acting Principal Melissa] Amey and other teachers preached to us that we really had to work hard in fourth form, but I didn’t listen. I still thought that I could study the night before an exam or not at all and still do well. After almost failing my first physics test, I realised I was only lying to myself. Life is the same: In order to truly get the results we want, we have to put in the work. Nothing is handed to us, and we’ll find that the results are even more rewarding.
Softball lesson
The other lesson I learnt was to keep trying. Softball was the teacher.
My rookie year left much to be desired. I got more strikeouts than I would care to mention, but I didn’t let that get me down. I made up my mind that that was not where I wanted to be, so I came back the next season and the next and the next. Right now, I am not where I want to be, but I am not where I was either: I’ve improved — slightly, but improved nonetheless. I did that because I kept trying.
Some of us didn’t get what we wanted or perhaps thought we deserved more, but this is not the end. As this journey ends, another begins, and this one presents more opportunities for us to prove ourselves. So we will keep trying and always do our best. One of these days, I will go an entire season without getting struck out.
In closing, I wish to remind us all to always try our hardest in whatever we do. The best can only come out if the best is put in. No matter how many times we may be unsuccessful, as long as we keep trying we will succeed.
I would like to leave with you a quote from Ed Koch: “The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.” This isn’t the end, but the beginning of more wonderful things.