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It was a day of pomp and excellence last Saturday, July 2 as final-year students of Corona Secondary School (CSS), Agbara, Ogun State officially passed out of the school amid pomp and ceremony.
It was yet another glorious day for the school and, especially, the graduating students. With their heads held high, they filed out on the stage to receive their testimonials and individual awards..
Vice-Chancellor (VC), Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Ibiyemi Bello, was Chairman of the occasion. She was represented by Prof. Martins Anetekhai.
In her message, she urged the graduands to keep up the great character they had built and sustained in their years at the school. Prof Bello charged them never to succumb to wrong influences by those they were going to associate with in the higher institutions. She said the students must always have a goal, and encourage them to remain focued as much as possible.
Said the don: “Ask yourself, what is my goal? Do I want to be a musician or an actor? As you leave these walls, you will begin to enjoy academic freedom. It is at that point where you are enjoying academic freedom that you equally get exposed to social vices, such as cultism, that could truncate your dreams.
“However for a student that is focused, you will be able to resist the pressure, keep your head straight, and flee from those vices that could truncate your future. Here at Corona, you have been educated and well taught. By the time you combine your knowledge with its application, I am sure you will be in the Dangote ranking. Nothing can stop you if you can apply your knowledge in every area of your life.”
Prof Bello congratulated the school authorities for their capacity to build leaders, as reflected in the brilliant performances of her students globally. She also tasked the graduates not to derail from the Corona standard even as they continue to chart their individual paths in life.
The ceremony came alive with the presentation of awards to outstanding students. The announcement of the three best students in the school caused cheers and considerable hoopla among the students, parents and guests at the event.
Somtochukwu Ike, George Nnona and Toluwanimi Sonuga emerged as the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third-Best Overall student of the 2022 set respectively.
Somtochukwu Ike took the first position with a total of 90 per cent. He topped the set with 6A-stars (where he scored above 90 marks) and 1A (where he scored above 80 marks) in the 2021 International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). He scored 321 over 400 marks in the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and scored 1400 marks in the Standardized (Scholastic) Aptitude Test (SAT). These feats earned him several endowment awards from the school.
George Nnona, who was the first runner-up of the set with 86 per cent, had 6A stars in IGCSE, scored 307 in UTME, and 1460 in SAT. Toluwanimi Sonuga finished as the set’s second runner-up, having scored 315 in UTME, and 1330 in SAT respectively.
While speaking with journalists at the event, Somtochukwu said the accomplishments came about following the hard work and dedication he put into his studies.
His words: “It’s nice to be the valedictorian because when you work so hard for something and you get it at the end, it feels so satisfying. It’s like all the work from the beginning, the extra reading, doing night preps, group reading etc are all worth it in the end. I got all the awards and endowment and I’m really happy about that.
“My parents were also very supportive. They encouraged me to continue to work hard. The encouragement was also in the form of a reward system which always encouraged me to do better.”
He informed that he has plans to continue his studies at the Arizona State University in the United States where he intends studying Biomedical Engineering.
George Nnona, who emerged the first runner-up, was the head boy of the set. The young man, who plans to study Software Engineering at Staffordshire University, said taking the overall second-best position was incredible.
Said he: “I know I put in a lot of effort, stayed up countless nights, taught and also got knowledge from my peers and even my seniors that have left the school, but I’m only surprised that I managed to get this far and I’m really happy. It feels unreal to be the overall second best student of my set. My parents are my backbone and best support system. At times when I say to myself that I couldn’t do it, they reassure me that I could do it and thank God I made it this far.”
Also speaking, the Third-Overall best student, Toluwanimi Sonuga said even though she was happy, she was experiencing a number of different emotions.
“This is my last moment in Corona. I feel happy, sad, nostalgic, but it’s all for the better. My parting word for Corona is to look out for us in future, and a big thank you to Corona for showing us the right path to follow.
“I feel very happy because I deserve it. I work hard for it. I’m glad that I’m getting rewarded for all my hard work. My parents ensured that I had the necessary time I required to read and understand, even when it meant that I had no time for other things. My immediate plan is to study law at Afe Babalola University,” said.
Principal of the school, Mrs. Chinedum Oluwadamilola, expressed optimism that the departing students would remain focused.
“I hope they continue to keep their eyes on the ball. And as I will always say, you are never able to score a goal until you take a shot. It’s always a delightful pleasure to graduate students. Six years of trying to mould children and you see them so accomplished. When they read their citations you wonder how they were able to accomplish all these in just six years. And these are brief citations because you can’t read everything that they have accomplished,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the parents for supporting the school in bringing the best out of the students.
She also spoke on the achievements of the school, noting that CSS is the first and only secondary school in Nigeria whose students (now 27) have fully qualified for the ACCA Foundations.
She equally revealed that six students out of seven CSS students that took the IELTS examination scored between 6.5 and 8.0, 13 students scored a perfect score of 6.0 in mathematics at the 2022 Cambridge Checkpoint examination, and six students scored a total score of 300 and above with the highest score at 321 at the 2022 UTME. She said 28 students scored between 250 and 279 respectively in the examination. Mrs. Oluwadamilola also stated that CSS students got an average score of 1112 in SAT, with the highest score being 1460 out of a possible 1600, as against the benchmark of 1010.
