I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone who’s receiving their exam results this week.
They’re the culmination of a lot of work, and they are an important milestone in your life.
I know this last year has been tough, and this probably isn’t how you imagined your year at school would go.
I know many of you were excluded from end-of-year celebrations due to the coronavirus.
Each of you, and every young person on this island, should be proud of how you helped to keep the virus under control by making many sacrifices through the lockdowns this year.
I don’t think I’ll be the only person to thank you for helping to protect our community this year with your sacrifices.
I mentioned that your results are an important milestone. But they’re not an end in themselves.
The thing that should make you proud of your efforts is that they are a well earned success.
Whether your results this week are what you hoped to achieve, or not up to your expectations,
you’ll probably come to see in coming years that the most important things in your life are the earned success of building deep and healthy relationships with your friends and your family.
You’ll probably come to value the earned success of building a vocation,
You’ll probably value the earned success of your efforts in education, in sport, in art, in faith, and in service to our community.
Your results are certainly not the end – They’re a checkpoint as you complete another level of life.
Enjoy the stepping stone, and remember your friends, family and teachers who have supported you in this effort.
And once again, congratulations and well done!
