Surrounded by family, teachers and friends, this Friday, April 26, the National Baccalaureate and IB Diploma Program students received their graduation sashes in an emotional ceremony held at the Gran Hotel de Arrecife.
The 33 students were received with warm applause by the audience, while the San Ginés Choir accompanied them, performing Händel's Canticorum Jubilo.
Thus began a ceremony full of mixed feelings: on the one hand, the happiness of the moment and the memories shared; on the other hand, the melancholy of saying goodbye to a stage full of satisfactions at Arenas Internacional School, where most have lived together since Kindergarten, to now give way to a new university stage, full of hope and new challenges.
The Academic Graduation Ceremony was presided over by the President of Arenas School, Arenas Atlántico and Arenas Internacional, Alberto Rodríguez, accompanied by the Director of Arenas Internacional School, José Paz Botana, and the Managing Director of Arenas Schools, Arenas Atlántico and Arenas Internacional, Jaime Rodríguez. Matilde Corredera, Teaching and Learning Coordinator, served as Master of Ceremonies.
The emotional speeches and interventions were interspersed with performances by the San Ginés Polyphonic Choir. In addition, an audiovisual was projected that, with humor and nostalgia, recalled the students' time at the educational center.
On behalf of their classmates, Carolina Tenorio Ramiro and Juan González de Padura offered heartfelt words in which they highlighted the values education received at the School, its contribution to society and the many experiences that enriched their education: trips, language exchanges, immersion in English language and culture at Sulis Manor (England), solidarity races and Olympics, among others.
The awarding of the graduation sashes was one of the most emotional moments of the day, a well-deserved tribute to these students who have made the culture of effort a principle of life.
With the traditional Gaudeamus Igitur, the academic act concluded, closed by Jaime Rodríguez, who addressed a farewell speech in English and Spanish, wishing the newly graduates the greatest of success. Subsequently, the attendees enjoyed a cocktail in the hotel facilities.
