Each weekday this month at 10am we bring you details of one of Beijing’s international school graduations. Check here for an archive of our coverage so far.
The Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB)
The Canadian International School of Beijing bid farewell to 18 graduating seniors on June 21 in a ceremony and reception held at the school’s campus near Liangmaqiao.
The intimate ceremony featured a nostalgic slide show of pictures of each of the graduating seniors from childhood to the present day.
In a twist representative of the global nature of the class, valedictorian Janet Wright, who had already departed Beijing by the time the ceremony took place, delivered her speech via a multimedia presentation that was broadcast to the class.
This was the third graduation of CIS, currently celebrating its 5th year anniversary, and the first time the school has issued IB diplomas in addition to their accredited Canadian high school diplomas.
For more pictures of the ceremony, please visit our gallery here.
Here is Janet’s speech:
Hello! Greetings teachers, parents, and of course the graduating class of 2011!
Wow, today we are graduating and we have reached another chapter in our lives. Friends, this has been the best year ever, because it is filled with memories of friendship and hard work.
Now I’d like to take some time to thank the school administration which has allowed me to make my speech via a video, and this allows me to incorporate sound effects, images and of course all the multimedia you can imagine!
Today we will receive those diplomas, knowing that they are the fruits of our hard work and perseverance. Everyone here has participated in one school event or another and many of us have been loyal members of the Social Committee, Student Xouncil, the newspaper team, the yearbook team, Global Issues, the Math Help Center, and more.
We have worked together to create awesome socials, charity events and brought amazing memories to all students in the school. So we have reasons to be proud to be the Class of 2011, because we were there to take a stand; we were there to put forth new ideas; and we were there to set a great example for generations of graduates to come.
Now I’d like to take a few minutes to thank everyone who has made these high school years amazing.
First I’d like to thank my parents for all the support they gave me. Next, I’d like to thank my brother David, who, apart from being my tallest buddy, also never fails to lend a joke to cheer up a rainy day.
Of course I’d like to thank the teachers for always being there whenever we needed them. And also I’d like to thank my friends and classmates for being so supportive and active during the school year.
Even though I’m halfway around the world right now I will miss all of you and all the memories we had as a class together. I just want to say never stop trying to reach your dreams and remember, you are the graduating class of 2011, you have made this day possible, and you will always be a cherished alumni of CISB.
Thank you!
