Valedictorian Address 2009

Sara Nothnagel

The Chairman Dr. Noel Woodroffe, Co-Chairman Mr. Marlon Jameson, Director Mrs. Cecile Taylor, Feature Speaker Dr. Terrence Farrell, Madam Chairperson, Specially invited guests, parents, well wishers and graduates, Good Evening.

Thirteen pairs of feet stood on NorthGate soil in September of 2007. In April of 2009 only nine pairs of feet are left standing as we come to the end of our long yet ever eventful journey...
Form Six to us initially seemed to be a safe haven. We thought this was it: we had reached! We were now amongst the select few who are brave enough to face the hordes of work and step up to the plate of required responsibility. It was our choice. It was our journey towards the end, and no doubt it would be a long journey, filled with a fair share of challenges. But together – through the strengths of each other and of God in us – we would conquer.

Our journey took us through valleys of stress and weariness, over hills of achieving our academic and extracurricular goals, and along the winding paths of self discovery.
Who we were then are indeed the same people we are now, but parts have been added, sharp edges smoothed and a few gaps filled in. Our feet were taught to tread outside of the familiar environment which we had walked in for our previous years of schooling. We see now that NorthGate College has been God’s tool for these past two years, shaping us for the destiny he has planned to fit each of our unique characters.

Our two transforming years began with a lush countryside given entirely to us. We dwelled in this environment with great ownership. The countless stairwell lunches and lively games of hide and seek caused the sixth form building on the main road to become our fortress. Our laughter and tears lined the walls and floors with memories so thick that even the best of cleaners could never rid the building of them.

Though our location has changed, the sixth form body is still completely capable of creating unforgettable experiences which have taken hold of the foundations and entire structure of the newest building on the NorthGate campus.

For the first time for all of us, we became key players in the leadership of NorthGate, acting as the essential link between teachers and students. Through the constant reminders that “with freedom comes the obligation to check yourself into jail” and “sixth form is not fifth form”, we began to realise the greatness of the task to which we had chosen to assign ourselves. This was no time to relax and ease into upper school life.

Teachers charged us with energy and motivation, sometimes (if not often) in the form of both subtle and obvious reprimands which inspired a drive in us to avoid these “buffs” by stepping up to the plate.

Who of us can ever forget being scolded in such elevated language that it took the entire Caribbean Studies class a whole five minutes to register the rebuke?
And lest we forget to mention a certain professor who never fails to begin his admonition by reminding his class of his name and place of birth, just in case the heat of the buff causes them to forget.
Through the necessary encouragement and support of our teachers, we quickened our footsteps along this pathway which we walked, and pushed our muscles to burning point so that we would be fit enough for the uphill treks which we soon encountered.

The reality of preparing for Sports Day hit us with full force winds as February 2008 rolled into view. We were given much more than just a glimpse of the tremendous effort involved, for we were thrust headfirst into the mounds of responsibilities required to produce a successful Sports Day.
From last-minute mixing of sound tracks, aerobic-style dance moves and running around trying to gather unenthusiastic students for team meetings; to the overload of excitement during final pageantry practice and painting sparkly banners the night before the event...

Oh yes, we remember these well.

By Sports Day of 2009 we marched steadily and confidently up that hill. We had been here before, and we were determined to conquer the tasks at hand. Once more we faced the traditional passing down of the teachers’ responsibilities to the sixth form, and then the traditional taking back of those responsibilities the day before the event. We invested every last ounce of the clichéd blood, sweat and tears into NorthGate’s 10th Anniversary Sports and Family Day, and on the morning of this much-anticipated event we stood at the top of the mountain we had just climbed and breathed in the magnificent view unfolding before our tired eyes. It was our Destiny to realise the Impact of our Purpose-driven actions which Accurately led to a brilliant Sports Day celebration.
Those of us who had been in NorthGate for the full seven years could only now realise the true worth of such events as aerobic burn-outs, early-morning road races and pageantry performances. Experiencing the behind-the-scenes action was truly humbling, as well as creating in our form six hearts a deep appreciation for teachers and each other. This appreciation made aerobicising  to loud soca music and the heavy breathing of the people around us a much more meaningful experience.

The sixth form journey has not been without its own share of potholes and detours. Many a time we would find ourselves completely exhausted only to be thrust at the base of yet another towering mountain and ordered to climb. Strong wills and stubborn theologies caused a few clashes amongst the leadership, and it took much effort to re-establish the friendly warmth and community which existed before, but we never quit until the restoration was complete.

During our two-year trek we were tried more than we had ever been before in our lives. The sixth form experiences each of us expected was far from what sixth form turned out to be. There were many instances where we were required to achieve things which we would have never imagined achieving. We witnessed both the good and the bad sides of humanity, and we have been forced to take a look at our own selves to weed out the negatives as they become obvious to us.

One thing that we sixth formers have learnt to deal with is the realisation that there is both good and bad in life. We need not worry over the bad, nor do we become so caught up in the good that we wander blindly into swamps of confusion when we are confronted with reality.

Our journey led us through NorthGate territory. Our footprints have marked the pathways which were marked before us by other sixth form graduates. We’ve got permanent lines etched in our faces and scars marking our skin. Our muscles have been developed and strengthened sufficiently to continue our journey without falling down. These two years of trekking will always be remembered by us not because of the bad or even necessarily because of the good, but because we were faced with a reality far greater than what we could comprehend at the start of the journey. We have been well prepared for life outside of the school setting, as we have been taught to adapt to suit the changing weather of life’s trails while still performing to the very best of our abilities.

We can now face a world which requires an acknowledgement of the presence of evil, with wisdom and knowledge that we need not despair because the bad in this world has already been overcome.

Though many of have witnessed negative situations even in this community, we have learnt to never let the hurt or frustration from those incidents ever devalue the experiences which blessed us and brought us true joy here at NorthGate.

This, I am sure, has made us fully able to conquer and enjoy the rest of our journeys.

Graduates, we will become many different things in our lives.

We’re walking towards the university student, potential doctor, lawyer, sociologist, architect, businessmen and women, singer, dancer, artist...
In a few more years we’ll be running headfirst into the era of potential husband or wife, father or mother, single professional or freelance worker.
After that there is the pathway which turns parents into grand-parents.

But my hope is that we will never tread pathways of bitterness or cynicism in the years ahead because we have somehow become discontented with the scenery surrounding us and no longer notice how much beauty we have been given to enjoy in our lives.

There will always be good in this life.

You’ve tasted it here. Hopefully you will now taste it where ever you go, and bring others to taste it as well.

(Proverbs 3:3-6)
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
       bind them around your neck,
       write them on the tablet of your heart.
 4 Then you will win favor and a good name
       in the sight of God and man.
 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;
 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will direct your paths.