Written by Chong Jia Ling, English Department
On 25 July 2026, the Lead International School community gathered at SJK(C) Lai Meng for the 2025/2026 Graduation and Award Giving Ceremony, an afternoon filled with achievement, laughter and new beginnings. Beyond the hall, displays and performances by our Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) clubs added to the festivities as students and families gathered, celebrated and captured memories together.
The ceremony commenced with an academic procession led by the school’s three founders, followed by the Pre-Primary, Year 6 and Year 11 graduating cohorts accompanied by their respective Vice Principals. In her opening address, Principal Dr Lim described the occasion as a “celebration of journeys”, honouring students at different stages of discovery, growth and resilience. Drawing inspiration from “A Spoonful of Sugar”, she reminded students that while life will inevitably bring challenges and responsibilities, passion, resilience and a positive spirit can make even the most difficult journeys lighter. Her parting message was simple: embrace challenges, celebrate achievements with gratitude and, above all, “find joy in the journey”.
Each graduating cohort looked back on its learning journey through a montage of memories before taking the stage for graduation and a special performance.
For Pre-Primary, one of the most memorable moments came when four young students bravely stood before the audience and shared their learning journey in three different languages. Clad in graduation gowns, they later received their scrolls and trophies before delighting the audience with a dance performance led by Ms Mina and Ms Olivia.
Throughout the afternoon, students from Years 1 to 5 and Years 7 to 10 also had their moments in the spotlight, stepping proudly onto the stage to receive awards in recognition of their achievements throughout the academic year. For students and families alike, each name called represented the effort, perseverance and growth behind a year of learning.
For Year 6, graduation became a celebration of both achievement and gratitude. After looking back on their primary school memories through a montage, student representative Shanice Cheong Jing Wen addressed her fellow graduates before the cohort, clad in graduation robes, received their scrolls. Among the graduates, Mor Ming Yuan and Shanice Cheong were recognised with the Year 6 Role Model Awards. The celebration then took on a more heartfelt note as the students performed, “You Raise Me Up”, rehearsed with their homeroom teachers under the guidance of Mr Aidil. As the final notes faded, they presented flowers to their parents, a simple but meaningful gesture of gratitude to those who had supported them throughout their journey.
The final chapter of the celebration belonged to the Class of 2026. Their graduation began with a montage that looked back at the years that had shaped them, weaving together blissful memories from their secondary school journey. As the memories faded from the screen, valedictorian Andersen Wong Xe Zin took the stage, reflecting on the excitement of finally reaching graduation and the wistfulness of leaving behind a familiar chapter.
“For years, graduation felt like a date somewhere in the distance.”
They had counted down to it through long classes and stressful examinations, Andersen recalled, yet standing there at last felt “both exciting and a little heartbreaking”. Graduation meant achievement, but it also meant accepting that the familiar faces, friendships and routines that had shaped their school years would soon change. As Andersen poignantly observed, “We spend so much time waiting to graduate that we forget graduation also means saying goodbye”.
His words gave the ceremony a bittersweet pause. Looking back on the IGCSE examinations, internships, field trips and everyday school life, Andersen reminded his classmates that their years together could never be measured by results alone. What truly remained were “the friendships they built, the laughter they shared and the challenges they overcame together.
Following a video showcasing the graduates’ internship experiences, the students crossed the stage to receive their graduation scrolls from Dr Lim, while Andersen Wong and Ng Yan Chy were honoured with the Secondary Role Model Awards. The cohort then came together for one final performance of “Count on Me”, an especially fitting choice for classmates preparing to follow different paths while holding on to the friendships they had built.
Just as the evening seemed to be drawing to a close, one final surprise awaited the graduates. A special AI-generated video prepared by Ms Esther imagined the graduates as their future selves in their dream careers. After an afternoon spent looking back at how far they had come, the video turned their attention towards the possibilities awaiting them beyond graduation.
By then, the excitement of the celebration had softened as the reality of graduation began to sink in. Students gathered with families, friends and teachers for photographs, holding onto the afternoon through one photograph after another. Andersen’s words seemed especially meaningful in those final moments:
“Sometimes, we don’t realise that the moment we’re currently living in, will one day be missed, until it has already become a memory.”
From Pre-Primary taking their first steps to Year 6 moving towards new responsibilities and Year 11 preparing to step beyond the school gates, the ceremony celebrated not simply how far our students had come, but the people, memories and experiences that had brought them there.
And through it all, each milestone marked not an ending, but another step forward.
