Paralympic swimmer wows Gasparillo graduates

Sustained applause greeted Paralympic swimmer Shanntol Ince after her moving valedictory address at the 2012 graduation ceremony of Gasparillo Secondary School last Wednesday. Ince urged her fellow students to “put past failures behind you and strive for what you believe in. Some of us may not know what we want to be, but we should always aim for the top.” In an address punctuated with humorous anecdotes about the past five years at Gasparillo Secondary, Ince reminisced about the exciting and memorable times she spent at school. “Our education over the past five years has certainly made a significant impact on our lives. We appreciate the hard work, discipline and knowledge that our teachers have instilled in us. “We want to thank the entire staff at Gasparillo Secondary, and our parents and guardians, for guiding us through these five years and moulding us into the young people that we are today,” Ince said.

 

A multiple-medal winner at recent international paralympic games, Ince is one of six national athlete ambassadors sponsored by energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT). She will represent T&T at the 2012 Paralympic Games to be held in London. Gasparillo Secondary principal, Samuel Bowen, pointed to the positive academic results achieved by the central school for the academic term 2011/12 The school gained 58.1 per cent full certificates with five passes or more (Grades One and Two). Gasparillo also performed well above the national averages in English A and Mathematics. The feature address was delivered by Prior Joseph, president of the Gasparillo Secondary Past Pupils’ Association, who appealed to the graduates to join the association and contribute in the further development of their alma mater.