Vere Tech celebrates 50 years at graduation
Published:Friday | June 27, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Shanique Samuels, Gleaner Writer
VERE, Clarendon:
THE 50th anniversary celebrations of Vere Technical High School, Clarendon, shifted into second gear on Wednesday when members of the class of 1964 passed the torch on to the graduates, charging them to continue the 'Vere Tech' legacy.
Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Dr Vena Ricketts, one of 'The Famous 62 of '61 (62 students started at the school in 1961), said she was honoured to have been afforded the privilege of delivering the keynote address.
Ricketts encouraged the graduates to not allow their past to dictate their future, while urging them not to back down from a challenge, nor to be afraid to take risks because it is at that point they will realise their strength.
Two hundred and seventy students graduated from the institution, which is based in the sugar belt of Clarendon.
Member of Parliament for South East Clarendon Rudyard Spencer saluted the class of 2014 and said he was pleased that he was able to contribute to the development of the institution. Spencer has donated $2 million to the school to assist with the construction of a perimeter wall.
This year's school-leaving ceremony was with a difference as the first graduating class of 1964 shared in the occasion. The founding principal, Colonel S. Ben Francis, was also in attendance.