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Ashli Welcome Top Academic Achiever in Impressive Cayman Prep Graduation

In the Year 11 Graduation at Cayman Prep and High School on 27th June, 15 of the 36 graduates graduated with Honours. Recipients of Subject Prizes and Special Awards were fairly widespread also. These were headed up by Miss Ashli Welcome (of the Webster Memorial United Church in Bodden Town), recipient of the Ernst & Young Award for Top Academic Achiever and Outstanding Student in Year 11. Ashli also took the Community Service Award as well as the Subject Prize in IGCSE Biology. At this stage, it will come as no surprise to readers that Ashli was also one of the Honour Students! Also of special interest for readers from the Church, the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands’ Ethics Award went jointly to Miss Ashley Ritch and Mr. Romario Ysaguirrie, both Honour Students, with Romario also winning the Subject Prize in Media Studies. This year, the student with the most Subject Prizes was Miss Chantelle Esau, with three. Other Special Awards included Spirit of the School and Significant Contribution to the Cultural Life of the School, to Jamal Hinds and Kerensa Thomas, respectively.
Tribute was paid to the retiring Director of the School, Mr. Mike McGrath, by Principal of the High School Mrs. Sheila Purdom as well as in a truly beautiful rendition of “To Sir, with Love” sung by the CPHS Vocal Ensemble. Individual members of the Ensemble demonstrated tremendous talent and potential. Another musical number that received enthusiastic applause was the performance of “At The Hop” by the School’s Swing Band! [Commercial Interruption – the School has just produced a CD of a great mix of music by all its bands, including the Swing Band and the Steel Band, available at the bargain price of only CI$10 from the School!!]
In his address, Mr. McGrath reflected on his 9 years at the School, the first five as Deputy Principal responsible for the High School, and the rest as the first Director of the School. He paid tribute to his predecessors as Head of the School, noting his privilege of being able to continue to take the School from strength to strength. He noted the strong continuing growth in the School, which he felt was due to a number of reasons, all of which reflected the strength of the whole team at all levels of Cayman Prep, including the staff, parent body, Board and the United Church as owner, citing factors such as the fact that the School was the first to reopen after Ivan, its excellent exam results at IGCSE and A Levels, its purpose built new buildings, excellent science and ICT facilities.
The Hon. Franz Manderson, Deputy Governor of the Cayman Islands, gave the Graduation Address, noting that he is both a graduate and parent of the School. He said he had been asked to focus on ‘Excellence’ and he did this by borrowing the well known scholastic acronym “GPA”, which he believed would be the focus of the graduates for a few more years as they go on to A Levels and tertiary education. But for his speech he used it to mean “Good decisions, Perseverance, Attitude.” With some humorous recollections as well as inspiring reflections on his own life and career, he helped the graduates to see how critical all three of these are from student days right on through life and how damaging and dangerous poor choices in any of these can be.
In a somewhat less formal but equally impressive “Leavers’ Ceremony” of the Year 13 (Upper Sixth Form) the night before, Miss Emma Walmsley, of Elmslie United Church, took the Outstanding All-Round Academic Achievement Prize. And Ms. Jossannah Smith was awarded the Elmslie United Church Outstanding Citizen Prize. Once again the A’ Level graduates are heading off to an exciting range of tertiary studies at major international institutions.
The United Church sincerely congratulates all the Graduates from Years 11 and 13 and wishes them God’s continued guidance, protection and blessings. Congratulations also to Ethan Whittaker of he High School section, who was one of the first two recipients of the Minds Inspired Scholarship programme, sponsored by Dart  Cayman Islands, and which rewards those who excel academically, particularly in maths and science.

Posted by: Administrator Friday Jul 06, 2012 10:38
Categories: Bodden Town, Cayman Prep, students | Tags: Bodden Town, students