Firsts Celebration

The Firsts Celebration is a celebration that bestows the title of ‘Lady S’ and ‘Regent C’ on two students at the Educar school of Governors on Owhua in between the towns of Meeklake and Willowrange. The Firsts Celebration is held in the spring of the year which turns out to be halfway mark of the school year for the school of Governors. The festivities for the celebration start a week before as the students prepare presentations as finales for the first half of the school year. Once the presentations are done the students and teachers clean, fix, and decorate the school for the celebration. The teachers have been watching the students for the past four years to see who is the best for titles. They have a list of qualities to help choose. Although there is also personality factored into the choice.

The day before the celebration is spent greeting all the visitors who come to the celebration. Each year has the top ten students. These are students who have done well in their studies in the past half of the year. This change can and does change often. These students are in charge of greeting and guiding the visitors to their lodgings for the night. The next morning they escort them to the great hall where the celebration is held. Now sometimes one of the ten is chosen as the honored but more often it is not.

The Firsts celebration starts early once all the visitors, students, and teachers are present in the great hall. In the great hall, the visitors have front row seats while the students are on the sides. The first years are in the back, then the second, third, four, and finally the fifth years close to the front. Only the presenter, who is the head teacher, knows who will be honored. Two teachers talk about the fifth year as a whole. Then the head teacher tells the history behind the titles and their importance of them. Once this is done the head teacher calls up the two students that have been chosen. For ‘Lady S’ a necklace made of flowers carved from gemstones is placed around her neck. ‘Regent C’ receives a crest that has been also carved from gemstones. Once the honored is done a huge banquet is served. After the food, the visitors are escorted and seen off. The main hall is transformed into a dance hall and the students dance and celebrate late into the night thus ending the celebration for another year.