Finding Treasure
A Message from the Principal
to Commemorate our First
PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME GRADUATION
since becoming an IB World School
authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme
June 21, 2012
At New Year’s, people often make big resolutions to change themselves dramatically. Graduations are a bit different, because what happens after you graduate often forces you to change, whether you are ready for it or not!
Events like graduations, even when they are not our own, give us the opportunity to reflect. Think about the year that we have just had. What was your favourite memory from this year?
I hope that you will take some time over the next couple of days to think about all of the things that happened to bring us all together this year. We all had an impact on each other’s lives. We all learned something from the other members of our community.
Even the bad things that happened this year helped us grow. When we argue with our friends or classmates, for example, we learn about what makes people angry and how to avoid such conflicts in the future. We learn about forgiveness and, hopefully, we learn how to be better friends in the future.
I want you to treasure this moment. Look around you. Look at your friends, your parents, your teachers. Look at the building, and where you are sitting. Everything that you see had a part in helping you grow this year.
This is the last time that we will all come together in exactly this formation, with you in your current grade, surrounded by your classmates, schoolmates, teachers, and parents. All of the people in this room — from the youngest to the oldest — have taught you something and helped you become the person you are today. You may not feel like you have changed much since the beginning of the year, but I can assure you (and not just because I have read all of your report cards!) that you have.
I hope that you can take some time over the next two days to reflect on your year, and say thank you to all of the people who have helped you grow and learn. Treasure these people, and treasure your memories of this special year we have shared with each other at Tsukuba International School.
Shaney Crawford
Principal
Tsukuba International School