On the afternoon of June 15, 2021, the graduation ceremony of the BC International Program Class of 2021 was held in the Cultural and Sports Center of Luwan Senior High School. All 24 graduates and their parents, school leaders and guests gathered to celebrate this crucial moment in the graduates’ lives. 

The graduation ceremony was attended by Mr. Jose Sia, Consul and Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, Ms. Wu Xiaoning, Trade Commissioner (Education), Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, Mr. Yuan Gang, Chairman of Baihui International Education, Mr. Mark Wuerch, Principal of BC Program, Shanghai Nanyang Model Private High School, Ms. He Li, Principal of Luwan Senior High School, Ms. Chen Yi, Secretary of Party Branch of Luwan Senior High School, Ms. Mei Jie, Vice Principal of Luwan Senior High School, Mr. Cao Yiping, Vice Principal of Luwan Senior High School, Ms. Chen Yanan, Director of International Programs of Luwan Senior High School, Ms. Naomie Fortin, Principal of BC Program at Luwan Senior High School, and Mr. Gordon Chang, Vice-Principal of BC Program at Luwan Senior High School.  

At around 1:00 pm, the MC, Mr. Keith Bisnauth, announced the entrance of the graduates. Accompanied by solemn symphonic music, the graduates entered the venue dressed in their graduation gown. Their pace was smooth and confident, and their faces were full of joy. After three years of hard work, these students have grown from a group of young teenagers into mature and responsible young men and women, becoming the pillars of the country. After the graduates were all seated, the graduation ceremony officially started. 

At the invitation of the MC, the guests, teachers and students stood up and sang the Chinese and Canadian national anthems “March of the Volunteers” and “O, Canada.” 

After a brief introduction of the guests, Ms. He Li, Principal of Luwan Senior High School, gave a speech. She began by congratulating all the graduates on their success in the 2020-21 school year with 180 offers and a total of $123,000 in scholarships. At the same time, she also encouraged the graduates to keep striving to enter a prestigious school as a new start in life. Principal He gave the graduates three reflections: to brighten the path of their studies with the heart of serving the country, to respect each other’s differences with the spirit of tolerance, and to achieve the greatness of governance with the nature of purity. If you do these three things, you will be able to go to a post-secondary institution abroad in the future to study with ease.  

After that, Ms. Naomie Fortin, the BC Principal of Luwan Senior High School, also gave a speech. She recalled all the great memories she had with the graduates over the past year and how proud she was to have had the privilege of knowing and teaching these excellent students. By listing different new things that had previously made the graduates feel fearful of the unknown, Ms. Fortin encouraged them to step out of their comfort zone and to dare to try new things. Only by being progressive and experimenting with different things can we be invincible in the fast-changing society of the 21st century. As the teacher who has taught this class for three years, Mr. Gordon Chang, Vice-Principal of the BC Program at Luwan Senior High School, also gave a speech to congratulate the graduates on their achievements and encourage them to keep moving forward. 

Then, our special guest, Mr. Jose Xia, Consul and Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai, delivered a speech on behalf of the Canadian government, congratulating the graduates on their successful graduation and wishing them the best of luck in their future. 

The graduates listened to the speeches of the principals, guests and teachers, and gave each of them a warm round of applause. Now that they have reached this new starting point in their lives, the teachers’ speeches gave the students motivation to keep trying their best to have a successful future. 

After all the speeches, the much-awaited graduation certificate distribution and award ceremony began. The graduates walked up to the stage one by one to receive their Luwan Senior High School Certificate from Ms. He and their BC School Leaving Certificate from Ms. Fortin. Each graduate had a chance to take an individual photo with them. While the MC announced the list of student award winners, the BC teachers presented the awards to the students with outstanding performance in various aspects. 

During the graduation ceremony, some students also presented great performances that showed their talents. The audience well received the students’ performances from: 

  1. Christina, Irene, Vanessa–“A Million Dreams” 
  2. Jacky, Jeremy, Peter, Tom–“Autumn Leaves” 
  3. Jacky, Ryan, Tim, Tom–“Secret Base” 

 

Beatrice Ding, the Valedictorian, gave a farewell speech as the representative of the graduates. She looked back on their three years in high school, looked forward to the future, and expressed her heartfelt thanks to the teachers and parents who worked so hard for them. 

 

At the end of the graduation ceremony, Ms. Zhou Xuemei, former class teacher of this year’s graduating class, and Emily Wang, one of the graduates, sang a song composed by Ms. Zhou Xuemei herself entitled “For You as a Teenager,” as a gift to the 2021 graduates of BC International Programs. Ms. Mao Yuehua accompanied them on the piano, playing a beautiful and nostalgic melody. 

As the ancient Chinese poem goes, “Knowing the way of the world from afar, we will not be disappointed with the people who travel far.” The graduates are about to open a new chapter of their lives and pursue their dreams far away from home. With the will to strive for the great rejuvenation of our nation, the blessings of their teachers and seniors, the fond high school memories, and the ambitions of each one of them, the class of 2021 will indeed become outstanding individuals among their peers and create a new glory for the country, the school, and themselves. 

Congratulations class of 2021!