A SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE COLLEGE PRINCIPAL, REV FR CYRIL ONI ON THE OCCASION OF THE 21ST GRADUATION CEREMONY - UNLOCKING THE FUTURE- 21ST SEPT., 2023

Good afternoon and welcome to St Anthony’s Catholic High School’s Graduation ceremony for the class of 2023. I would like to welcome the parents, family members and friends in attendance, but more importantly, I would like to thank you for being a part of this historic event.

It is the love, support, encouragement and commitment to these amazing students that has allowed them to be where they are today. I would also like to say directly to our graduands, congratulations in the midst of challenges!

We thank God for the session which has been a blessing to us despite the economic situation of the country. We have concentrated on the welfare of the members of staff, academic excellence of our students, even, in the various competitions and a number of achievements were recorded for the year 2022/2023 academic session.

I am very honored to stand here dear graduands, and I ask that as you leave here today, your last day as students and first day as alumni, you always remember where you have come from. These early chapters are important ones in each and every one of your life's stories. It has helped to shape who you are today. Who you want to be tomorrow, however, lies ahead of you and will be the outcome of the decisions you made.  Bill Clinton in his youthful days had a dream of becoming the president of the United States of America and with hard work, determination, perseverance, he lived his dream. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Fortunately, I am confident that all of you have the tools you need to lead you on a path of success looking at your formation program.

Thinking about how you can build your achievements, I ask that you do so with a kind heart, a stout work ethics and a positive outlook. These three simple things will allow you to struggle on, thrive and succeed in this world. As American psychiatrist Theodore Isaac wrote, “Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” This simple statement is so powerful and yet so important, now more than ever, as the need to come together is critical. We are facing challenges in our local communities, in our state, in our country, and in our world, none of which, we will ever be able to properly address, solve, or resolve without kindness, as it is kindness that will allow people with different views and perspectives to come together and be the change.

Change will not be easy, that is why a solid work ethic is so critical to success. The ability to work hard, show up on time, be collaborative and see things to completion are all different attributes that make up work ethics.

The third thing that I have asked of you all, as you move forward after today, is to have a positive outlook. I know that we live in a world where so much attention is paid to the negative things that are going on the social media outlets, but remember that there are so many more positive things that are happening all of the time all around you. As the character Albus Dumbledore stated in the Harry Potter series, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” And so I am asking all of you today to please turn on the light of excellence that unlocks the future.

I would like to name the SACHS graduating Class of 2023 best 10 students in this order:

1. Jekayinoluwa Adedamola
2. .Okojie Vivian
3. Balogun Heritage
4. Akilapa Nifemi
5. Ajayi Abisola
6. Ifeanyi Emeka
7. Adebiyi Marvelous
8. Anjorin Victory
9. Adetayo Adeyinka.
10. Opaleye Ife

Thank you for making us proud in both internal and external exams and competitions.

Principal’s Awards — The principal’s awards ( in memory of Late Pa & Ma Stephen A. Oni, and Pa Francis Badmus) will be given to students who stand out in Mathematics for their perseverance. The recipients of this prestigious award have brought glory to this school. This year we have six recipients:

Jss 1 -Ola Yemi Mimololuwa

Jss 2- Akinloade Temitope

Jss 3- Adeyeye Emmanuel

SS  1- Onilemo Favour

SS  2- Oni Enoch

SS  3- Jekayinoluwa Adedamola

 The most well behaved student of the year, ALUKO Precious, and the most dedicated student on SACHS radio channel, MBA Vivian.

We are grateful to the proprietor, Most Rev John Akin Oyejola for his fatherly care.

I celebrate the members of the formation team for their zeal and coordinated efforts. I thank the parents and guardians of our wards for your consistent support. I equally thank all other students for your response to formation.

Thanks for listening, welcome and God bless!