“Credimus et Speramus”: The Power of Trusting and Hoping
Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by I Have Hope in Helena
The Stand Up Leadership Camp of Reach Lesotho is composed of three main schools with long histories of excellence and integrity. Through the diversity we have, we bring different personalities, exuberance, and zeal to our work. Unknowingly, we have sponged up the core values of each of our schools throughout the years and presented them in our interactions among each other, our approaches to different challenges we have faced during the course of Stand Up, and especially through the organizing of “Gathering of Hope.”
Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute is the oldest high school in Guelph. It is also the third oldest school in Ontario. GCVI has fostered outstanding alumni with its belief in the quest for knowledge. “Hic Patet Ingeniis Campus” – “Here Lies Open the Field for the Quest of Knowledge”
This motto can be clearly seen on the GCVI Coat of Arms located high on the wall of the auditorium which “Gathering of Hope” was held in. Perhaps it’s just my being of the proud geek that I am, I couldn’t help it… but my face seemed to brighten at the motto on our event day (every single time I looked up). Indeed it was the field that we shalt seek quest of the knowledge ‘afore us.
The day was hectic. So many variables to account for, so many uncertainties. Despite any feelings of adversity, we faced it. We never stopped problem solving, confining in each other. We never stopped searching for ways to make things better throughout our event. Most of all, after months of being with each other, we’ve learned that the whole world is our field for the quest of knowledge.
“Palma Per Ardua” – “Success Through Hardwork” is the much respected school motto of Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute. Through the decades, the spirit and meaning of this motto extends beyond the fields of academic and school boundaries.
Success, it doesn’t come easily. Even the most sagacious and perspicacious of us all cannot achieve without hours after hours of phlegmatic work. This is clearly evident in the “Gathering of Hope” and its planning. We all know we are bright young hopeful individuals. The question here is – “So what?” We can theoretically have the brain capacity to go into the field of rocket science but it all means nothing if don’t work hard to achieve. The bottom line is that things just don’t work out by themselves. Work to be done just doesn’t complete itself.
Evidently, all of us have had the fair share of tears, freak outs, dramatic emotional outbursts, laughter, stress, anxiety, worries, moments of glory, phone calls, fun and especially that moment of “eureka.” If in doubt, just check our phone bills, histories, emails, facebook messages, and walls. “Gathering of Hope” was the fruit of our hard work.
“Semper Procedere” – “Always Progressing” Even as a Centennial Spartan, I’ve always admired the fanatical and avid Ross Royals. John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute has a reputation for their fierce yet friendly competition. Through these tests of abilities, they continue to improve themselves and make progress within their own areas of ability and performance.
Can you say through all those years of hard work in the field questing for knowledge that you have not made any progress? No. Can any one of us say that through the weeks we’ve spent doing all those meaningful things mean nothing to us? Absolutely not. Until now I’ve never realized how inaccessible our world is to the handicapped, how ignorant the financial resources are used for developing countries’ development, and how a city of over 120,000 would listen if a group of high school students just stood their ground and decided to do something outstanding for their global community.
We are making progress everyday.
“Credimus et Speramus” – We Trust, We Hope
This is our motto. We believed in each other. Stand Up is family. We have each others’ shoulders to cry on when we needed, we had each other to laugh with when we wanted. We never lost hope. Together, our hopeful dreams and goals helped us succeed in our fundraiser. Best of all, we were hoping together.
