Distinguished teachers, respected parents, and dear classmates,
Good morning, everyone.
Today, we can finally say aloud the words we have repeated to ourselves countless times: “Happy Graduation!” Alongside the excitement, however, there is inevitably a touch of sadness—because graduation also means saying goodbye.
Whenever we talk about parting, we naturally feel a sense of sorrow, because deep down, we often equate parting with loss. We do not want to leave this familiar and comforting environment, say goodbye to the friends who have been by our side for the past four years, or bid farewell to the teachers who have supported us along the way.
But now, I have gradually come to understand that saying goodbye does not mean losing what we have. We will never again spend our days, as we have for the past four years, sitting in SCIE classrooms, attending lessons and taking exams together. Yet the growth these years have brought us has already become a part of who we are, and it will continue to accompany us into the future.
Every patient explanation before an exam, every quiet moment of companionship during our hard times, and every challenge we faced together with our friends gave us the resilience to face difficulties without fear. The inspirations our teachers shared with us, and the encouragement they gave us, helped us grow into more thoughtful and mature individuals. And the love, support, and unwavering faith that our parents have given us will forever remain the foundation that gives us the courage to strive for what lies ahead.
These memories may seem gentle and insignificant, like countless delicate threads. They are so delicate that, in our everyday lives, we hardly even notice them. Yet with the passage of time, those threads are woven together, becoming a strong and steadfast shield. Wherever the future takes us, and whatever challenges lie ahead, that shield will stand before us—protecting us and giving us strength.
There is a line from Winnie-the-Pooh that I have always loved: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” All the reluctance we feel in saying goodbye today is, in fact, the greatest proof of how happy and fortunate these past four years have been.
Four years may pass in the blink of an eye, yet they are long enough to leave an indelible mark on each of us. During our time at SCIE, we wrote many meaningful stories and achieved so many things we can all be proud of. Today, as we leave, we take with us the courage, kindness, perseverance, and love that this place has given us.
Finally, I would like to say: Happy Graduation, Class of 2026! May the future lead each of us to different destinations, yet may we always remember that we once stood here, and together, we shone brightly.
Thank you.
Amy Zhang
I would like to congratulate the class of 2026 again; we made it.
We made it through our first year in this school during the COVID pandemic. We made it through our G-level years with full timetables. And we made it through the busy application season that seemed to stretch on for eternity.
At the same time, we created precious memories that will stay with us for life. We created moments that reminded us what it means to grow up together. We created a vibe that is truly unique to the Class of 2026.
I think we can all agree that there is a special kind of resilience within us — a powerful force that kept us together and carried us forward on this jagged road that is growing up.
We flew so high that it frightened me a little — how high can a bird ever fly?
But before we rush headfirst into yet another rabbit hole of the future, graduation is perhaps the perfect time to look back on the past. Standing here among all 450 of our graduates, as we look back on the voyage that brought us here, we may realise that it was never a solo journey.
We were not born with that resilience.
Behind that resilience were the people who stood beside us long before we learned to stand on our own: our parents, our families, and the loved ones who lifted us long before we learned to fly.
We were able to fly so high because someone first showed us the way and gave us the courage and ambition to spread our wings. And if we are ready to step into the future, it is because we have been loved, supported, and believed in through every step of the way.
So to our parents and families, thank you. Thank you for being there when we needed a hand to hold and a harbour to return to.
Steven Yu
Good morning teachers, parents, distinguished guests, and most importantly, the Class of 2026.
To be honest, I lose count of how many times I have stood on this stage to give a speech. Usually, I am up here representing the SLB. But today, for this final time, I want to speak simply as myself—as Freya.
When I look at the Class of 2026, one word comes to mind: growth.
I can still vividly recall a much younger Freya looking up at the seniors on this campus, genuinely believing I could never be like them. For a long time, I was confused and always waiting for the "perfect" moment to start. I hesitated and overthought everything because of a fear of uncertainty.
But I took the first step anyway—raising my hand, leading a presentation, running an ECA, and eventually joining SELT. My four years at SCIE gave me a backbone. This place taught me to stop waiting for opportunities, and to start actively chasing them down.
True growth doesn't mean a flawless 4.0 transcript or prizes in John Locke or the AMC. It is the willingness to take a leap, the courage to accept responsibility, and the resilience to embrace failure, reflect, and keep moving forward.
We are all going to face moments in college where we feel bewildered and find ourselves waiting again. When those moments come, remember this campus. Have the courage to step out of your comfort zone and just make a start. Trust your own strength, because you are far more powerful than you believe.
Thank you, and congratulations, Class of 2026!
Freya Lai
Dear parents, teachers and students：
Good morning！
I am Michael, the SELT from the EP Division, as we called, the extracurricular programme division.
Today, speaking of one of the most important moments for every parent and student in SCIE, I am very honored to be a part of this enthusiasm in the atmosphere.
Gazing back to the first day we entered the school in August, it was indeed four years ago. It was the start of the journey in SCIE for us, a place full of sparks and inspirations.
It was an impressive thing to me that it seemed to be a human nature for the passion for stories. Starting from the very little kids, we loved to hear stories from our parents to get a good sleep. Those moments when we imagined those heroes saving the world, or making a better change in the community, were so satisfying to us in a magical way.
Talking about this common feature of us, it seems to inspire a further aspect of a common motivation to be involved in a great story, or even become the creator of such a story. Indeed, it seems almost intuitive to create great and unique stories by ourselves in our lives, so that we might share them with our great friends or even our offspring in a few decades.
Talking about stories, I believe everyone, parents and students and teachers, has their own unique stories. Some of them might seems challenging, some of them might seems easier, some of them might be thrilling. But at the heart of it, is that each of them is unique and equally successful.
During the past four years, we witnessed all those sparkling moments in SCIE. We saw the hard work from every performer besides those shining moments on the stage. They practised everyday, sometimes even over 10 at night, to prove their best. At the same time, they didn’t waste their talents but instead make a part of the history in SCIE. At the start of the school year, we would held a traditional competition called SCIE Got Talent Show. Performers coming from every grade are all welcomed to join and show their talents at this Halo Theatre.
The class of 2026 is extremely talented that we have several first and second winner over the four years, including Leo, Jacky and Sage. Coming to October, we would have our popular carnival, in which every students would dress in their ideal form in terms of horror terms. It was such an unforgettable memory when they actively participate in the set up of the Haunted House and carefully planned each route of the plot. The highlights continued throughout all the years as we celebrated the Chinese New Year and all those professional ECA clubs.
It was such a sad moment when I realised June is coming. It is June 13th today, the last day of school in SCIE. At this stage, it is certain that all of us had written an unique answer to our four years of high school lives in SCIE, a unique story that will last forever in the future.
And, what’s next?
I remembered the movie Soul from Disney, and it seems to be a good example here. Your sparks isn’t your purpose. We all came to the world with a certain spark, and that’s what makes us a unique story in our lives. To find it or not remains our own choice.
Thank you all and wish you a good day!
Michael Chen
Good morning,
On behalf of the class of 2026, I would like to again welcome all the faculty, friends, parents and guests to our graduation ceremony.
Well, class of 2026. We made it.
As a group entering school during the period of COVID, our journey does seem to get a little “turbulence”. I could never have imagined that the first time I’m committing as a leader in SCIE is when the nurse hands me the covid pipe and calls me “小队长”(small lane leader). Then, after all that, it’s the first friend, first football game, first girlfriend, first breakup, first time in Mr Boris’s office, and first B in IGCSE Chinese. And realising life isn’t so easy.
But to be honest, I had fun. In the four years of SCIE, it wasn’t an easy path to walk; I felt that in my IGCSE hill walk. But we’ll always have to find our bearings and walk again and again to find the correct route. And look at all of you, there you are.
I was surprised that I wasn’t down these difficult routes by myself, we thrived through like a family and together are Students in a challenging environment.
Four years is too long as we started it, but too short when we’re leaving it.
I hope everyone of you can walk out of this ceremony proud, and tell the world that you’ve made it.
SCIE is not a place; it is the people that matters.
Thank you.
Jojo Gong
Today, I’m suppose to talk about closure.
This time last year I took a selfie with a quote right next to it, It was from one of my favorite author TS Eliot “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
It was a quote for myself stepping into my final year of high school. I’ve always been afraid of saying goodbye, afraid of closure, because I would worry about taking a leap away from all the memories that I cherish.
We often talk about life as if it comes in stages, like Shakespeare’s “seven ages of man.” It almost feels like our life is captured by different stages and we have to do different certain things in different certain stages, but reflecting on the term closure several times when I was working on this graduation speech, I came to a conclusion that there is no distinct period of life, or in another sense no distinct closure.
What really matters is taking the leap and giving our best regardless of the outcome. You would never turn the page if you never open a book. Life is not a series of distinct stages, and even if we stumble along the way, every experience shapes who we are today.
We don’t go from stage one to stage two forgetting about the first stage, it is the previous stages altogether that creates who we are today. Just like the cyclical nature of Shakespeares ‘seven ages of man’ where the past will eventually return to us like walking on a spiral staircase. I am not a ‘perfect student’ with the perfect SAT or GPA, but that doesn’t even come near to stopping me from being someone I would be proud of.
The mistakes we’ve made in the past doesn’t stop us from taking new chances in the future.
We are at an age where every decision seems so important, where one small mistake seems detrimental to our life, but just remember that we are never defined by a single moment or stage in our life, it is the scattered, uneven, and bumpy pieces of rocks that paves the road we walk towards who we are today, and who we are today is this proud individual stepping on this stage to graduate from SCIE.
Jolina Kong
