Valedictory Speech

Shirley A.

The noblest and the most admirable Executive Vice President

and co-founder of the University, the honorable, Dr. Daisy Moran
Tamayo, the notably high-minded school director, Dr. Alfonso H. Loreto,
the very accommodating and very motherly principal, Mrs. Celia L.
Lamarca, the solicitous and dedicated coordinators and teachers of the
grade school, school administrators, the remarkable achiever and our
Guest of Honor and Speaker this afternoon, ____________, respected
guests, grade school staff, family and friends, my fellow graduates,
good afternoon.

I am absolutely honored to be standing here representing the

graduating class of 2009. On behalf of the graduates, I would like to
thank you for joining us on this auspicious occasion.

Graduation Day—how sweet-sounding and how delicious it is to

savor its very significance! But sweeter are the reminiscences of
memories as we look back across the years in our long and arduous
ascent to the top of our elementary school ladder.

Graduation is a time of reflecting on the past & looking onwards

to the future. It is a time that we, as graduates, get together for one
last hurrah before moving on to bigger and better adventures.

As we look back on five amazing years, it is easy to see that the

UPHR Grade School Department has played an instrumental role in
helping to shape the young boys and girls we are today. Five years
ago, we walked into our 1st grade classroom, wondrous and with
countless questions in our young minds.

Can we ever forget our first day in school, struggling to write our
names, to read and to recite the alphabet, to count, to add, subtract
and later to multiply and divide. All of these seemed to be formidable
problems for our young minds then.

Later, as we progressed through our primary level, and then our

intermediate level, we were able to decipher the complexities of
Mathematics, of the Languages, and the wonders of Science. These
were some of the exciting times in our lives. We were given new
privileges, as well as new responsibilities. Friendship quickly
developed among us, and those new friendships has become stronger.
We find self-belongingness. We belonged to the University of Perpetual
Help Grade School family.
 For the past years of our lives in the school, we have given
information and knowledge and it is now time to put them to good use.
Our teachers and administrators have equipped and prepared us for
our futures. Our teachers did not fail us in this goal of education.
Furthermore, they made us work harder than we ever thought we
could, they made us wonder and question natural phenomena. They
taught us respect for our parents, elders and other fellow human
beings. They either way taught us the value of life and reverence for
our Creator.

In other words, our teachers endowed us of the gift of literacy,

legacy, of computational skills and of good morals and citizenship.

It takes a truly special person to be a teacher. The University of

Perpetual Help Rizal Grade School is lucky enough to have the most
special teachers in the world. You can never find a more caring group
of teachers than our teachers here in grade school. They push you to
your limits because they can see what you are really capable of even
if, sometimes you, yourself are unable to see it. They have helped me
as well as my fellow graduates to get to this day. They have been an
integral part of learning inside the classrooms as well as outside of it.
In the end, it’s not about quizzes or test marks. It’s about you have
gained as person that truly matter. It’s about learning more about
yourself and trying to be better. Our teachers here have tried their
best to teach us these valuable lessons and for that, I would like to
thank them.

This commencement ceremony can be as joyous for our parents

as it is for us graduates. This is the day that they eagerly anticipated
and waited, yet one that brings them at least a few tears. I can feel
and see it right at the very moment. My Mama cannot hide her tears
of joy that her sacrifices and hardships are finally rewarded. The time
and the sleepless nights researching and preparing questions during
exams are beyond compare. I know that they are proud of me.

I have been so blessed to have my Papa and Mama who has

helped me in everyway possible to get to this day. I have also been
raised by a family who have never stopped giving their love and
inspiration to make my dreams come true. In every competition I
joined, winning or losing in the contest, they are always there to
appreciate and cheer me up.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone, big and small
who has helped each and every one of us to get here. Whether he/she
is a parent, grandparent, a teacher, a guardian, an aunt, an uncle or a
neighbor, you have inspired and made it possible for us to get here. A
generous thank you is well deserved.

As we end one glorious chapter of our lives, a new one begins.

We have a fresh blank page ahead of us. It is up to us to grab our pens
and write our own stories. I ask you my fellow graduates to take this
opportunity to write an unforgettable chapter filled with the fulfillment
of your dreams.

We hold the key to our own future. There is a lot of power inside
of us waiting to be unleashed. Getting a diploma this afternoon is not
the end of graduation, but it is the beginning of something special. It
is the beginning of new adventures and new friendships, and series of
struggles.

In behalf of the graduating class of 2009, I dedicate this moment

of glory to all our parents for their unconditional love and
unquestioning belief in our abilities, for, for their selflessness—for
everything.

To our teachers and administrators, we promise to live by the

ideals of our school and that these ideals burn always in our hearts.

As we traverse the unchartered seas towards our dreams, may

God give us hope, faith and courage.

To my fellow graduates, let us altogether offer prayers and

thanksgiving to the Father in Heaven for His blessing of Health and
Wisdom.

For Our futures, I hope that our worries will stay small and that
all our dreams will reach the stars because the sky’s the limit.

Lastly, there’s no better advice I can give than to quote: “Take

chances, Make mistakes, and learn from them.”

Congratulations graduates of 2009. This is our time to shine.

Thank you and good afternoon once again.

…shirlsssh…