In
this first message to our former students, we wish to
share the impressions of a young person who recently
completed his High School and bid adieu to his Alma
Mater. Mr. Roshan Joel Washington was the High School
Pupil Leader during the academic year 2007-2008.
BIDDING ADIEU … A NEW ALUMNUS –
2008
There
is a known saying – "Life is not measured
by the number of breaths we take but by the moments
that take our breath away." While grades and
scoresare important, it is the little exciting moments
and tensions from each supposedly insignificant moment
in our life that will remain entrenched in our memories.
As I look back at my journey as a
student the passage of time has indeed recorded both
times of distress and great joy. Who would have ever
thought that three years ago we'd all get this far?
Trying to sum up these three years of high school
is a daunting task but one I take on with great enthusiasm.
In the time we've been here, St. Joseph's Indian High
School has become our second home, providing many
of us with a sense of direction and regularity that
may have been lacking. It has become a sanctuary,
keeping us sheltered from what passes by outside our
school gates.
Studies may have been boring but
attending classes was surely fun. We were fortunate
to have many excellent, hardworking and dedicated
teachers who went far beyond what was required of
them. Apart from classes and studies, the programmes
on Teacher's Day and Children's Day, the loud cheers
and tough competition on the Annual Sports Day, the
fantastic display of talents during the cultural fest-Prerana
and the informative and educative audiovisual classes
will surely remain in our hearts. On a personal note,
I feel Prerana is a unique characteristic of St. Joseph's
Indian High School and one thing the school will always
be remembered for.
Life in St. Joseph's Indian High
School has been different for every one of us, whether
we were involved in academics, music, sports, clubs
or simply struggling to survive. Its been said that
high school is perhaps the best three years of one's
life. Between going to school and completing our schoolwork
along with various extra-curricular activities, we
have always found time to enjoy life! Whether it was
irritating the teachers in the classroom, chatting
with friends in the corridor, resting during the intervals,
being chased by the P. T. masters into the classrooms
or even ragging fellow students during the school
tours. Life in St. Joseph's Indian High School has
been an awesome roller coaster ride. Dear friends,
it is not the things that can be bought that are life's
richest treasures, its moments like these and people
in it that money cannot measure. The ups and downs
of school life, the humbling experience of learning
that sometimes we do not know it all, the taking of
a step of faith to get to know new friends and trust
them are priceless lessons that money cannot buy.
I would like to thank St. Joseph's Indian High School
for providing us with many opportunities to learn
these meaningful lessons. The school has been a forum
of new ideas and opinions and has also taught us to
interact with different types of people.
Today as we leave the sheltered walls
of school life, we must remember that it is indeed
the community around us that moulded us into what
we are today. Hence I'd like to acknowledge the many
people in our community who have played a significant
part in our lives. On behalf of all the students,
I'd like to thank our Rector-Fr. Scotus Fernandez,
our present Principal – Fr. Gilbert Saldhana,
our former Principal-Fr. Melvin Pinto, our present
Vice Principals-Dr. Vincent and Fr. Joy Fernandes,
and our former Vice Principal-Fr. Gerry Furtado for
all the support and encouragement we've received.
Our heartfelt gratitude to all our teachers for being
so awe inspiring and for those countless invaluable
lessons that went far beyond the mere content of our
syllabus; To our parents, for their unfailing support,
for believing in us and for nurturing us; our friends
for being there for us. I'd specially like to thank
all my fellow classmates. You guys have truly transformed
my high school experience into three of the most enjoyable
years of my life, three years I will always treasure.
And finally, I'd like to thank all my fellow Josephites
for making life in St. Joseph's Indian High School
really, really enjoyable.
It indeed is funny how life has a
way of sending people off in different directions
just when they begin to feel comfortable. Today for
the last time we stand together as students of St.
Joseph's Indian High School, the last time we leave
the school gates as students, the next time we enter
school on March 31st we will be identified only with
our ten digit register number for the exam. So as
parting words I'd like to say that whatever you choose
to do in your life, whichever field it may be- "Have
fun! Don't do anything you don't expect to enjoy!"
today we are the cream of the crop and we will accomplish
everything we want because we, the graduates of St.
Joseph's Indian High School are creative, innovative,
dynamic, intelligent, responsible individuals and
truly men for others.
ALL THE BEST !
Roshan Joel Washington
X 'G'