Kindergarten students at the Greta Academy in Haiti celebrate graduation.
The kindergarten class at the Greta Academy in Léogâne, Haiti, was recently honored in a graduation ceremony, and the teachers were recognized for their hard work during the school year.
Blue and white streamers and balloons filled the room as the 19 kindergarten graduates sat on stage in front of their family, friends, and peers. The graduates performed songs and skits to display the knowledge and skills they had gained over the last year. Applause echoed throughout the room as the students, dressed in their best outfits, looked out on the crowd.
Graduation at the Greta Home and Academy.
At the ceremony, Greta Academy Principal Victor D’Ettorre spoke to the students and parents. He encouraged students in their studies and asked parents and guardians to continue giving the children guidance. He also thanked the kindergarten teachers for their dedication to their students.
“You have invested your lives into these students,” Victor said. “You’ve taught them more than reading and math. You’ve also taught them about the love of our God and our Savior. These lives will never be the same because of what you taught them and for that we give you our thanks.”
During the the graduation ceremony there was a symbolic passing of the flame. The third-year kindergarten graduates passed a candle and a book to the second-year kindergarteners. In Haiti, students attend kindergarten for three years. It was a symbolic event to demonstrate the value of education and the importance of learning.
The graduates who received their diplomas were honored individually for their completion of kindergarten. Their faces beamed as they received their certificates. Education is an opportunity many in Haiti never have the privilege of even attempting.
Teachers at the Greta Home and Academy receive recognition for their hard work.
It is an accomplishment worth celebrating, and proud parents hurried to take photographs of the graduates dressed up for this special day.
While the kindergarteners learned the importance of education, they also learned the importance of God’s love, displayed by the teachers. Friday’s festivities also honored all the Greta Academy teachers and their devotion to empowering the younger generation.
Greta Academy students sang, preformed dances, and recited poetry to thank their teachers. Each teacher was honored with a certificate, gift, and much applause from the audience.
After exams, the students and teachers will spend their summer preparing for the next school year and reflecting on their accomplishments, which will propel them toward successes as future Christian leaders of Haiti.
