Amid the sad tale of teenagers engaging in criminal activities more and more each day, a group of twenty-four teenagers, from the Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School, took a step in the right direction.
The students, who met all requirements for promotion, held their graduation tonight, Friday, June 17, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Special speakers included Mrs. Ruth Castillo principal; Dr. Paul Flowers, guest speaker; and the valedictorian, Gwendolyn Roches. Castillo addressed the audience of excited and enthusiastic family members and her graduating class, and advised them to keep on the right path.
Dr. Flowers also advised the students on the importance of not straying from their goals, and on the benefits of furthering their education.
The valedictorian speech was even more inspiring, as Roches, a very dedicated and intelligent young woman, spoke about the trials and tribulations she faced throughout her commitment to coming in first, despite the loss of her mother.
Castillo told us after the graduation ceremony ended that she was very proud of her graduating class; she will no longer be the principal of the school, because she has been transferred to another school, in Benque Viejo Del Carmen.
We asked Castillo just how important was it for these teenagers to accomplish this milestone: “Well, of course, no house is built without a foundation, and primary school is the foundation for these children because they can’t do anything without that, and we believe that the foundation that we have built here at Buttonwood Bay, will give them a jumpstart in life, to whatever door that they want to enter, so it is a very big event for us.”
Roches, for her part, told us that she was happy and that she plans to do even better when high school begins in September; Roches plans to attend Wesley.
“I feel good and I knew I could do it, and in high school I think I could do better,” said Roches.
The graduating class of 2011 consists of Janine Allen, Yesenia Aranda, Audrea Augustine, Jane Bermudez, Wendy Betancourth, Yancy Cob, Delmy Flores, Markeem Lewis, Shantel Middleton, Carolina Rivera, Gwendolyn Roches, Jinzi Tan.
The male students are Joshua Smith, Daniel Bennett, Denis Calderon, Jose Flores, Benjamin Medina, Carlos Ortiz, Edward Rubio, Alexander Turcios, William Vargas, Kenyon White, Clayton Young, and Kevin Zelaya; to you all, we say congratulations and keep up the good work.