Class of 2021- Graduation Speech

Mr Evan Hunt

Head of School

Welcome family, faculty, and friends and most of all our graduates to today’s BISS Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony.  A special welcome to those who are joining us online on Teams.  Together we all share the bond that we care about and support the graduates, and are grateful we are able to come together one last time to celebrate their accomplishments at BISS, and to officially bring an end to their high school career and to mark the beginning or commencement of their college and university experience.  That is exactly why at many universities and schools around the world you hear of ceremonies just like the one we are at today referred to as commencement.   

Today we celebrate the accomplishments from the past, but the real focus is toward the future, and the excitement we have and optimism we all share knowing that the graduates will accomplish great things with the skills and abilities they acquired and developed during their time here at BISS. This was made possible thanks to their hard work and with the support of the countless men and women who helped them along their journey.  Many of them are in this room today, but there are countless others who could not join us today, that surely helped contribute to the graduates’ success. 

In the days and months ahead I encourage the graduates to contact those people that helped them the most to share your news of graduation and to let those individuals know how much you appreciated their help.  Perhaps in the future you too will play this role with another young man or women looking for help in navigating their way through life.  I will share a secret, the rewards in being able to help guide and support you both is the very best part of being a parent, teacher, coach, mentor, or friend.   It is why we as teachers choose this profession and why we are so happy to be here with you today.  

You all have had to persevere and overcome so much to complete the IB program and to graduate from BISS.  Your class is the one that had to endure and navigate both sides of the pandemic disruption to complete the full course of study on time and without modifications.  I want to truly congratulate you for your hard work and dedication.  You may find this hard to believe, but the skills and experience you gained from simply managing life through the pandemic and successfully completing the IB program are probably just as valuable to helping you through the next stage of life as the content inside each the courses themselves.  

You learned that there are no short cuts or negotiations to doing what is required to complete the IB program, and when things need to be completed there is no such thing as an extension or modification.  While painful and frustrating at times, the experience you gained from these experiences will not only serve you well at university but throughout the rest of your lives.  That is without a doubt the most valuable education of all.  We are so proud of you for your resilience and your abilities to always focus on what needs to be done, and how to take feedback as a means to keep improving.   

With that lets turn our attention to the future and what lays ahead of you.  The world is at your feet, now is the time to pick up the tools you have acquired and set off on a new journey.  I think CS Lewis said it best.  “You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream”.  It’s time to set another goal and keep fine tuning your dreams.  You have accomplished so much, but you have so much life still ahead and so many more adventures and experiences to have.  We hope that you will always remember the time you spent with us fondly, knowing that we wish you nothing but success in the future.  With that allow me to say on behalf of everyone at BISS, “congratulations, best wishes, and good luck to you all.  We know you will do great!