A celebration of achievement at CedarBridge

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CedarBridge Academy graduates were encouraged to continue their hard work and live purposeful lives as they celebrated the end of their high school education yesterday.

The 112 members of the Class of 2012 received their diplomas in front of a crowded auditorium filled with the graduates’ family and friends.

Valedictorian Leanna Hall told her classmates “This is just the beginning”.

She added: “While this is it for this stage in our lives, I encourage you to strive for more. I challenge you to further yourself, whether it’s in additional schooling or in the workforce.”

Miss Hall related her recommendations for success through the acrostic ‘PLAN’. The letters stand for purpose, look for help, achieve a bit at a time and network.

Guest speaker Alfred Roberts instructed graduates to “dream, believe, plan and work”, drawing on his own experiences of dealing with adversity to achieve his goals.

“It is important for you to be the best at what you do, but above that, be the best at who you are,” Mr Roberts said.

“Make sure that you positively stand out and make an imprint on Bermudian society.”

Principal Kalmar Richards also gave words of encouragement and praise to the graduates, outlining their many achievements. Ms Richards mentioned the two students who graduated with double honours and the ten who graduated with triple honours.

In addition, 21 students graduated with GPAs of 3.0 or higher.

The majority of the graduates will be going on to Bermuda College, but some are continuing their education overseas.

Phillip Burgess, who was the first in the class to be accepted to college, will be attending Barry University in Florida, where he will be studying histotechnology.

The youngest graduate, Jaret Simmons, will be continuing his studies at the University of Technology in the West Indies. Mr Simmons, who just turned 16, completed his high school graduation requirements in three years and earned triple honours.

Beyond academic achievements, Ms Richards also recognised excellence in community service and athletics.

“The minimum requirement for service is 80 hours,” Ms Richards said. “However, in true CedarBridge form, most of the students from the class of 2012 have exceeded those minimum requirements, with some accumulating over 800 hours of service.”

Combined, the graduating class did over 18,200 hours of community service.

Five students graduated as elite athletes. To earn this distinction, they had to graduate with honours, play on at least two athletic teams for each of their four high school years, complete their community service requirement and demonstrate excellent character and sportsmanship.

Ms Richards ended her remarks by expressing her faith in the public school system as a parent of public school graduates.

“If parents, if the community, if teachers, if students work with the Bermuda public school system, the system will work for you,” she said. “Today, the system worked for 112 graduates.”

A total of 18 students still need to complete more coursework to finish their credits or raise their GPAs.

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