GIA CDO Recognition, Moving Up and Graduation Exercises

For the longest time, we have been observing graduation ceremonies for every educational phase students finish such as pre-school, grade school, high school, and college. With the K-12 educational system implemented in our country, “moving up” was introduced.

In accordance with the K-12 system, Grade 10 students will observe the Moving-Up ceremony instead of the traditional graduation. Moving- Up ceremony paves the way for their entry to Senior High School. On the other hand, graduation is the traditional end-of-school-year rite marking the accomplishment of a particular educational stage to begin a new one like Grade 6, elementary to the junior high school level. Graduates wear the graduation attire known as the toga and cap and are awarded diplomas.

Virtual Recognition

For the first time, Georgia International Academy CDO held commencement exercises virtually. The school year 2020-2021 was the very first school year that was affected by the pandemic of 2020. This graduation season is unlike any other for those students who will observe these rites online.

The Virtual recognition for the primary level in Georgia International Academy happened last April 29, 2021, at 8:30 am. The students were very excited as well as their parents. Teachers also rehearsed and prepared ahead of time so that the event would end successfully. Before the program starts, Teacher Lovel, the host of the program, mentioned the rules to be followed by the students while the virtual recognition is ongoing to avoid unnecessary noise and distractions.

The program begins with a prayer followed by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. Mrs. Arleen T. Lim, our very own school director, gave her opening remarks. Then, it was followed by the inspiring messages of  Dr. Rosalie Girado (Chief Operations Officer) and Sir Jerry Navarette (President of Georgia International Academy).

The presentation of awards from Grade 1 to 3 was followed. Awards in grade 1 were presented by Teacher Rosemine Balingit (Grade 1 adviser), awards in grade 2 were presented by Teacher Aileen Mamaran (Grade 2 adviser) and the awards in grade 3 were presented by Teacher Lovel Bordamonte (Grade 3 adviser).

During the presentation of awards, honor students and those who excel in different subject areas were recognized. After the presentation of awards, a short video was played on the screen. It shows the activities of the students for the school year 2020-2021. Upon seeing the video, I can say that students enjoyed and at the same time learned during their online classes. Their outputs are very creative and they really did it on their own.  At the end of the video, Teacher Japeth Villanueva (Grade 4 adviser) gave his closing remarks. The event was successful and it ended with the singing of the Georgia Hymn.

On the same day, the virtual recognition for the intermediate level happened at exactly 1:30 pm. The flow of the program was the same at the primary level.  Presentation of awards also was presented by the following advisers in the intermediate level - Teacher Japeth Villanueva (Grade 4 adviser), Teacher Anita Rizza Montenegro (Grade 5 adviser), and Teacher Jamie Paz Moneva Abragan (Grade 5 adviser). Overall, the virtual recognition ceremony ended successfully both at the primary and intermediate levels. 

Virtual Moving Up and Graduation Ceremony

The virtual graduation and moving up ceremony of Georgia International Academy CDO happened last April 30, 2021, at 1:30 pm. It was the first time that the school did it virtually as a way to celebrate the accomplishments and academic achievements of the students for the school year.

The students from kindergarten, grade 6, and grade 10 with their proud parents attended the ceremony. The students wear their graduation attire and you can see in their faces that they are all really excited.

The program begins with an invocation followed by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. After that, a meaningful message was given by Mrs. Arleen T. Lim, school director. Giving their inspirational message are Dr. Rosalie Girado (Chief Operations Officer) and Sir Jerry Navarette (President of Georgia International Academy). Both leaders wherein they imparted words of encouragement and wisdom not only to the students but also to the whole Georgia faculty and staff.

Our school director, Mrs. Lim, presented the candidates for moving up and graduating to Dr. Rosalie Girado while Dr. Girado, confirming the eligibility of the candidates for graduation. After the confirmation, the graduates move their cap tassels to the right. All of the students showed pride in surviving the challenges brought by their very first online classes.

Presentation of the awards for kinder followed. It was presented by Teacher Andrea Enteria (Preschool Coordinator). Every year the following guidelines for the honors and awards were mentioned during the ceremony:

To qualify for  Valedictorian & Manny Villar Excellence Award, the student must obtain the highest final grade with no subject grade below 95 and has an Outstanding Grade (A) in all character traits. For Salutatorian, the student must obtain the second-highest final grade with no subject grade below 95 in any quarter and has an Outstanding Grade (A) in all character traits. For Honorable Mention, the students must obtain the third, fourth, and fifth-highest final grade and no grade below B (Very Good) in all character traits. For Academic Awardee,   it was awarded to students who qualified for honors in at least one quarter.

The next part of the program was the presentation of awards for grade 6 and it was presented by Teacher Jamie Paz Moneva Abragan (Grade 6 adviser & School Academic Coordinator).

Aldrean Heart O. Tan, class valedictorian, excellently delivered his valedictory address. He was proof that determination and perseverance will lead to success. Teacher Vhon Celeste (Grade 10 adviser) presented the awards for grade 10 students. After the presentation of awards, a tribute to parents video was played. 

After the video presentation, Alessandra Paris Ambal, a grade 10 student gave her speech of gratitude. Then, The Year That Was Video was played. Even though this school year was done virtually, it was overall fun and a unique school year. The last part of the program was the giving of closing remarks by Teacher Jamie Paz Moneva Abragan, followed by the singing of the Georgia hymn. Overall, the virtual graduation and moving up ceremony ended successfully.

Georgia International Academy Cagayan de Oro was very thankful for the families and parents of the graduating students. This school year has not been easy for all of us, but we were able to go through this year smoothly because of the parents who continually support us. Congratulations to all the students, parents, teachers, school director, admin, and staff for making this school year successful!

Georgia International Academy is an international school that continues to uphold its commitment to providing quality education to Filipino and foreign students here and abroad. Enrollment for School Year 2021-2022 is ongoing. Check the school’s international partnerships here.