Corona Day Secondary School, Lekki, recently graduated its pioneer class of students, with a strong charge for them to treat social media as a tool for learning and innovation, rather than a platform for clout and careless posting.

The graduation ceremony held on the school premises marked a historic milestone as the first set of students admitted into the senior secondary arm of Corona Day School passed out.

The students began their academic journey during the COVID-19 lockdown, attending virtual classes from home before the school transitioned to full physical learning.

The event brought together parents, teachers, members of the Corona Schools’ Trust Council, and other stakeholders who witnessed the symbolic passing out of the pioneer set.

Delivering the keynote address, former Chairman of the Corona Schools’ Trust Council, Justice Bola Adebiyi, warned the graduands about the long-term consequences of irresponsible social media use on reputation and career prospects.

She urged them to approach online spaces with restraint, maturity and discipline.

“Your generation has opportunities previous generations could only dream about. With that device you have, you can access libraries, international courses, build businesses, learn languages and connect with people across the world. Use it to solve problems, not to waste it for the future,” Justice Adebiyi said.

She cautioned that every post, comment and video create a permanent digital footprint.

The Chairman of the Governing Board, Olaniyi Yusuf, thanked parents for entrusting the school with their wards during the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He urged the graduands to carry forward the school’s core values of integrity, hard work, excellence and strong character.

Yusuf also disclosed that the school has begun integrating new technologies into teaching and learning.

According to him, the school has invested in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence to make lessons more interactive, and to prepare students for a technology-driven world.

The Principal, Oluwagbemileke Amoo, commended the pioneer class for their resilience.

He said because they were the first set, they had to navigate new systems and set standards for those coming after them.

He praised the students for demonstrating academic and extra-curricular excellence despite starting secondary school during a global crisis, and expressed optimism that the values they acquired would help them excel in higher institutions and in life.

The highpoint of the ceremony was the presentation of awards to students who distinguished themselves in academics and other activities.