Speech Day and Graduation Ceremony of Harvest Academy for the Class of 2021

Kangar, Perlis — On 26 November 2021, students, graduates, parents, teachers, and the school management came together physically at the long-anticipated annual event, the 4th Harvest Academy Speech Day and Graduation Ceremony, to celebrate the achievements of the graduates receiving their IGCSE certificates, and to draw attention to the students who earned awards throughout 2021.

The event began with the welcome speech by the CEO, Mr In Chiew Lee. Mr Lee expressed gratitude to frontliners and educators who put in hard work during the pandemic, and applauded the Harvestians for moving forward with online learning and discovering a myriad of ways to learn effectively.

Graduates' speeches

Speech Day allows students to share their experiences, educate others, and provide inspiration through powerful speeches, all while motivating other students. In the four graduates' speeches, they reflected on the four years they spent at Harvest for their personal and holistic development, and credited their success to the learning experience at Harvest.

"My four years as a founding student has been a great experience as I learnt so much academically and more importantly, developed and grew as a person within the moral ground along with my classmates. Harvest Academy and the IGCSE curriculum was truly a rewarding experience for me." — Tan Ann Shen

Angie Ng, one of the graduates, echoed her sentiment: "I came here knowing little about values. But Harvest has provided a platform for me to discover something we could not find inside the classroom. It is known as the Harvest Academy Leadership Council — a platform that allows anyone to take a leadership role. Harvest gave me the experience of organising an event, which I believe will be useful for my future."

Ashley Cheang emphasised the extra academic support offered to selected groups of students in a conducive environment: "I was weak in mathematics, particularly the chapter Indices in Year 10. So I decided to pay attention to the extra class. Finally, I can see myself improving with each passing day."

Certificates and awards

All of the graduating students, in their graduation gowns with tassels on the right, received their IGCSE certificates from the administrator, principal, and all of the teachers — the highlight of the festivities.

This year, Harvest gave out special awards to honour nominated students in academics, progress, resilience, role model, and merits. Resilience awards are given to students who persevere through adversity, learn from it, and grow stronger. The Academic Award is based on the assessment and examination results of the student, recognising students who have worked hard to achieve their goals. The Role Model award is given to those who have demonstrated personal qualities that their classmates admire and respect — the only award in which the winners are chosen by the students themselves.

"Now imagine, we are all sitting on a beach. As we're looking towards the sea, what is presented by nature to all of us is the same. Some may be observing the tides where the water comes in and out, others may be enjoying seeing the waves, and the rest focusing on the ripples. So, walk your path. No matter which pathway you take, there's no doubt that you will achieve in your unique way." — Mr Kent Lee, school administrator

Mr Lee spoke about graduation day as a new chapter of life in which students decide their new path, and stressed that the graduates are ready to pursue higher education, having equipped themselves with adequate skills and knowledge to face the challenges.

Harvest also dedicated a special montage video capturing the moments spent by the Year 11 students during their time at the school. Graduation day concluded with the closing announcement and a photo session. Every good thing must come to an end — but luckily, there's another one next year!