People may look down on teenage mothers and pregnant teens but some, such as those who graduated from Teen Services Continuation School yesterday, are doing great things with their lives.

Head teacher, and master of ceremonies for the day, Sharon Wilkinson told the 80-strong audience at the school's graduation ceremony that she was pleased to see her students graduating.

And, while she admitted her students had travelled a bumpy road, she said they did a commendable thing with their lives by continuing their education.

Eleven students were present for the commencement exercises at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

Three of the students graduated early.

Shaunelle Crockwell, Tina Raynor and Kiane Young were each fourth year students when they came to Teen Services, but were able to meet the necessary requirements to graduate in one year.

Three other graduates -- Tionea Phipps, Jonita Simmons and Dana Brown -- were absent from the ceremony.

Ms Phipps and Ms Simmons came to the programme from the CedarBridge Academy and graduated with their class on Tuesday.

And Ms Brown was called away by mother nature to give birth to an eight pound, four ounce baby girl at 12.10 a.m. yesterday. Her mother Ginny Masters, who organised the ceremony, was present to accept her daughter's diploma on her behalf.

And while she appreciated the praise she received as a compassionate parent, Ms Masters said the praise should be directed toward the graduates.

One student particularly deserving of praise was Loutiqua Phillips.

She was incarcerated when she started the programme and could only go to school three times a week -- when Ms Wilkinson would have to take responsibility for her.

"I was solely responsible for this girl and would be on the phone if she was just a few moments late,'' Ms Wilkinson recalled.

But she added she was glad she had faith in Loutiqua, who will be working full time at Bermuda Fire and Marine come September.

Loutiqua started working at the agency selling calendars in December, 1999, and quickly moved up the ladder.

She will take the position of another Teen Services' graduate at the company as a customer support technician.

A single mother, Loutiqua said having a baby when a person was young should not stop her from doing anything.

And she said her main motivation was her three-year-old son De Jon as she wanted better for him.

She thanked her family who never turned their backs on her.

"It's hard work, but anybody can do it if they are genuine in their hearts and stick to what they believe,'' she said.

The ceremony included an unexpected goodbye for Education Officer Greg Smith who announced his retirement.

The guest speaker told the students how proud he was that they were able to balance their academics with the demands of home life.

"I congratulate you girls for getting your high school certificates,'' he said.

"I know there have been a lot of sleepless nights. I have two children and one only slept two hours at a time,'' he noted.

Ms Wilkinson said she was sad to see Mr. Smith leaving as he was responsible for ensuring all Teen Services students were on track for graduation.

She added that, thanks to Mr. Smith, Teen Services would never have the problems that some of the other Government schools have experienced.