Dr Walden-Pinnock urges graduates to soar with purpose

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Michele Walden-Pinnock, regional director at the Ministry of Education Region 4, wants the graduating class of Greater Destiny Preparatory and Kindergarten School, in Montego Bay, to embrace life’s headwinds as they seek to rise with purpose and perseverance.

“Planes don’t take off with the wind, they take off against it, so the challenges you’re going to face use them to lift you,” said Pinnock, while delivering the keynote address at the school’s graduation ceremony on July 3, at the St John’s Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay.

Speaking under the theme, ‘Soaring to New Heights’, Walden-Pinnock used the science of flight as a metaphor to urge students to see obstacles not as setbacks, but as the very resistance needed to gain altitude.

“Every great flight requires guidance, balance and a firm foundation,” she told the graduates. “We want our children to lift off from here with vision and values that help them reach beyond what others may expect.”

Using the word ‘KITE’ as an acronym, she said the students should, “K – Keep learning independently; I – Ignite your motivation daily; T– Think carefully about your sources of influence; and E – Embrace being more.”

“The sky is not the limit, it is your starting point,” she said. “Fly, fly with purpose, fly with pride, fly with discipline.”

Turning her focus to the families, Walden-Pinnock warned about the dangers of unsupervised screen time and passive parenting in the digital age.

“Put the [computer] desk where, when you open the door, you can see the screen,” she advised. “These children are skilled, they hear you coming and switch the screen.”

She also stressed the importance of establishing structure and monitoring children’s educational routines at home.

“Children need routines. They need attention. They need to know you care, not just by buying the tablet, but by checking what they’re watching and when,” she said.

In another passionate appeal to the parents, who are involved in separation or fractured relationships, Pinnock said they should not allow that to affect the children.

“Parents, no divide and rule. No talking through the child. You must unite to uplift this child,” she urged. “These children are like wet cement. Anything that touches them leaves an impression.”

In a final charge to the graduating students, Pinnock encouraged them to think beyond trends and instead contribute meaningfully to society.

“Upload to the body of knowledge, not just download from it. Let your actions speak louder than your likes,” she said. “Be a creator, not just a consumer.”

The school’s principal, Yvonne Hill, in providing a reflection on the academic year, commended the students, saying many of them have earned the right to attend top-tier high schools.

She said 12 of the 24 graduates scored over 90 per cent on the mental ability test, with Briyah Brissett, this year’s top graduate, missing a government scholarship by one point.