“THE WILL TO WIN, THE DESIRE TO SUCCEED,
THE URGE TO REACH THE FULL POTENTIAL,
THESE ARE THE KEYS TO UNLOCK THE DOOR TO PERSONAL EXCELLENCE.“
Monday morning at 7:30 am, a group of staff and faculty members started setting up guest tables and chairs with new tablecloths and placements in our beautifully decorated graduation hall. At 8:55, our first parent proudly walked into the hall and by 9:40 all the seats were filled with joyful faces. The event began at 9:43 and shortly after the opening of welcome speech by the master of ceremony, there was the standing ovation as our soon to be graduates walked proudly in front of their parents towards their seats.
The welcome speech ended with a beautiful prayer for the graduates and their family members,
“May Allah the Almighty bless our hearts, glorify the parents, guide the way, ease the journey, raise the ranks and make each one of them victorious in every step they make.“
This was followed by the Quran recitation by our pride and senior Valedictorian Hassan Saab.
Our respected Principal Br. Hesam Karimi, keynote speaker; Br. Abdul-Razak Abubakr, 8th grade home room teacher; Sr. Mariyam, salutatorian; Ms. Nahiyan Azad, and valedictorian; Ms. Liba Safa, all shared few words with the audience.
Principal Br. Karimi’s speech was filled with strong messages in hopes to benefit students whilst moving forward into high school. He reminds this competitive class to have constructive competition, dream and conquer their goals, to think outside the box, to not to be afraid to explore, to try new things, ask questions, learn from their mistakes, and be good role models for their younger brothers and sisters.
Our distinguished guest Br. Abdul-Razak Abubakr, our former student and the author of The Curious Mind, urged guests to applaud the students with a standing ovation. He shared an eye-opening message in his speech, ”All it takes is an idea, followed by an ambition. Once those two commensurate, there is no limit as to how far one can rise.” These ideal words sparked our students’ confidence.
Sr. Mariyam, the 8th grade home room teacher, who was extremely proud of her graduating class, through her speech, encouraged her students to continue to show the world their brilliance. The audience cheered when she mentioned a homework-free vacation this summer. Nahiyan Azad and Liba Safa, this year’s salutatorian and valedictorian, both acknowledged the efforts of their teachers in this unprecedented time and showed their deepest gratitude towards their parents in overcoming the challenges of pandemic in this academic year. When Nahiyan proudly appeared as a daughter, sister, friend and as our salutatorian, Liba, the valedictorian couldn’t begin to imagine how to say goodbye. She wished to see all her friends and classmates coming back next year!
Awards, diplomas, and certificates of academic excellence were awarded to students by Principal Br. Hesam Karimi along with Sr. Mariyam, and Sr. Iman.
Seconds after the last award was announced, confetti poppers released by the event organizer, Sr. Rania, made a spectacular show of colorful confetti that made students cheer in excitement. The official declaration as the junior graduates of 2021 announcement came right after their tassels were moved to the right.
Parents began to crowd in front of one of the many photo booths, elegantly designed with flowers that added the beauty to the pictures gratefully taken by Sr. Sasha, our staff and event photographer who we all owe a huge thanks to. It brings tears to anyone to watch parents show their gratitude to Sr. Imani for her efforts in being both a maternal figure and mentor to our students. Principal Br. Karimi moved from table to table discussing future plans and spreading knowledge, love, and support to all the parents as they enjoyed their buffet served from the school. It seemed our staff, faculty members, graduates and their families all enjoyed and cherished this wonderful day. Even in happiness, we all deeply missed our friend and middle school ELA teacher Sr. Rawan, who unfortunately couldn’t attend her students’ graduation. Thank you Sr. Rawan for shaping your students to what they are today, you are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Sr. Simin, their art teacher, for being a creative motivator in their lives, as well as Sheikh Wissam for teaching our children religion and Qur’an. Also, Br. Seif, their computer teacher, and our technical support staff who played a huge role in making this event possible.
This monumental day is dedicated to Sr. Mariyam and Sr. Rawan.
“INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER,
THATS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION.“
- MARTIN LUTHER KING
Sr. Sabeena Rahman