Freelance Correspondent
Miss World 1986 Giselle Laronde-West has encouraged pupils of the Pointe-a-Pierre Government Primary School to become model citizens and to also choose their friends wisely.
She spoke to the graduating class of the school at Cara Suites Hotel and Conference Centre, Claxton Bay on June 26.
Under the theme, Be the Change that you wish to see in the World, a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, the pupils absorbed Laronde-West’s words. She also spoke with them about the transition from primary to secondary school, urging them to choose wisely those who would be around them.
She said, “When you get to secondary school, you would be looking for someone to guide you and teach you outside of that classroom. You would want to make friends and learn all you can, from them and what is around you. My advice to you is to choose wisely, to not look for guidance from the most popular person in the school, just because that person is popular. Take your time, choose someone or maybe more than one person who would be truly a friend to you, who would care about how you feel, very importantly, how you progress, how you achieve, and who would help you to grow into an excellent human being. So make that choice as you enter secondary school.”
Laronde-West advised the graduating pupils to not allow their challenges or family issues to stop them from success.
“Do not let any hardship that you may have or may have had throughout your younger years define you or dwell on your mind. Do not let them determine your destiny either. Break that generational curse that may have surrounded you or your family, or friends or people who are suffering around you. Break it and become positive and productive citizens.
“There is so much violence, heartache, and hurt in this world at this moment, so much warfare and hate and anger. Do you want that to continue into your future? Our world is being destroyed, and destroyed by who, human beings, our human hands! So you must be the change, you must change all that you see here happening in the world,” Laronde-West said.
School principal Winston Lochan also instructed the 14 graduating pupils to be catalysts for change in this country and the world.
Lochan said over the years the Pointe-a-Pierre Government Primary School’s academic performance had improved. He said with better infrastructural amenities placed in the school, the performance of the pupils can only get better.