Fiji LDS College Awards & Graduation

This is a bit late (like 2 months! 😬) but better late than never.

Like any school in America, the college had an awards assembly (not a night event) and of course Graduation.  The only real difference is that these kids go to school a year longer--13 years.  Many of the senior boys look like they’re grown men.  In my mind I’m saying, “How old is he?”  One of the reasons for that is the Fijian people look older than Americans.  Very few baby faces with these kids.  And the other reason could be that some of them really are 20 years old because the schools have a retention policy.  I know students in the Primary school that have been held back twice.  So, by the time they’ll graduate, they could easily be 20 years old. 

Awards assembly was just as any other school.  Parents all come and take lots of pictures.  Each award is announced individually and someone “prestigious” presents the award.  In this case, mostly a stake president or someone in a stake presidency.  Once during the assembly, they asked “Elder Roper” to present the awards and the teacher that was retiring also present awards.  There were 2 top athlete awards, a female athlete and a male athlete.  These awards were 3 feet tall.  At first, I thought they got to keep that award, but found out later that their name is engraved on it and it stays at the school.  They also gave a top academic award which was a nice trophy to 2 students. The DUX award, which is the top graduating academic student, was presented at graduation.  It went to a Chinese girl who had come to the school 4 years ago with very little English.  She worked hard and got the DUX, kind of like the valedictorian.  She was a cute girl.  She mentioned also in her speech that she had been baptized the weekend before and what a difference the gospel has made in her life.  I think the coveted award though was the Zion Award. It is an award that goes to the top 2 Seminary Students, one male and one female.  I don’t know what the credentials are for this.  They receive a nice set of scriptures and a plague. 

Awards Assembly was in the morning.  Then each grade level was served lunch.  All the students had participated in killing the laying hens from the “farm” (part of the learning experience) and the teachers and parents had prepared them for the students. In the afternoon was graduation.  Elder Hoopes,  one of the temple missionaries, had been asked to be the guest speaker.  He and his sweet wife, Jane, were very honored.  Before graduation they had a welcoming ceremony for them in the Buré.  We had never been to a welcoming ceremony, so we were invited to attend.  A group of young men and a couple of teachers performed the traditional Fijian Ceremony.  The Hoopes were presented with a whale tooth, that they return during the ceremony.  They sing some songs to them and recited some ceremonial things, all in Fijian.   The singing was phenomenal, which was to be expected.  Many of the young men got quite emotional.  It was very impressive.  I really wanted to take more pictures but felt like it wasn’t appropriate. 

Then it was graduation time.  They had the pomp and circumstance just as any graduation, even the traditional march.  They each wore the same graduation gowns and caps we see in America.  But each wore a sash which had been sewn by Sister Blackburn, the former TVET missionary that went home in October, and many parents and a couple of teachers.  Each sash had the last name of the student sewn onto it.  Each student also wore a Fijian lei or candy lei according to their family’s desire.  I hadn’t realized but Elder Hoopes knew many of the students who attend the temple regularly to do baptisms for the dead.  When he started his speech, I realized that and it all made sense why he would be honored to speak and the students would be interested in him as well.  After the graduation, there was a large spread of “refreshments” for guests of honor, finger sandwiches, cakes, vegetables and sliced fruit.  Unfortunately, the Hoopes had to hurriedly leave as they needed to be to the temple as a session was just beginning.

Here are a few of the awards given.  They had different people hand out the awards--Primary Principal, Stake President, ITEP Missionary, Retiring Teacher...

This is Albert Sun.  He always wears his long white socks.  He is from China.

Outstanding female athlete

Outstanding Male Athlete

I don't remember his award but I think it was an athletic award.

This is Laisa from our Korovou Branch.  She has to travel over an hour to get to school every morning.  I think she got an award for her work with the beehives.  

These two got the top seminary student male & female.  I think it is called the Zion Award.

They get a new set of leather bond scriptures.

And they had to give a speech.

Traditional Welcoming Ceremony for Elder Hoopes who was the guest speaker for Graduation.

Notice the woven mat on the floor.  Most homes have these mats.  They are smooth and soft and very durable.

Marching in....

The Class of 2019.

This is a traditional Tongan Wrap.  It is woven from a special grass.

I don't remember her name, but here she is getting her diploma.  BUT then at the end....

She was announced as the Valedictorian. When they announced her name, one of the other girls ran up to her and gave her her salusalu (Fijian Lei).  I thought it was a sweet act of charity.  She was so short she could hardly see over the top of the podium until they found a stool for her to stand on. 

 

 

Party Time!