Graduation Day

This last Monday was the “Promotional Day” for my school. This is the day that the 8th graders graduate and all the other students get promoted to the next grade. This year Angaur Elementary School only had one 8th grader. It was a very emotional day for her.

In Palau, there are 16 public elementary schools and only one public high school. The high school is in Koror, the only real city in Palau. It is customary for the child to live with relatives in the capitol city to finish their education.

My graduate had to say goodbye to the only school she has known for whole life. Say goodbye to her life-long friends and say goodbye to the family that raised her in Angaur. When I asked her to explain how she felt in a writing assignment about graduating and moving on in life, she only wrote one word; bittersweet.

Me and the graduate.

The whole school congratulating the graduate.



The special cake, just for her (the bakery misspelled "Angaur")

The graduate with the old and new principal of Angaur Elementary