January 27, 2012
On CGA's 6th graduation day, the school said goodbye to a few of its long serving teachers. Four teachers have left in the past month, but two of those four received a special sendoff on Friday. Cleopah Odhiambo and Ronald Opiyo have taught at CGA since 2007 and have served faithfully through the years. In December they applied for a chance to be hired by the government as teachers in the public school. They were 2 of only 5 new teachers hired in all of Mbita District. Since they have not yet been posted to a specific school, they asked to continue serving this month at CGA as we look for new teachers to replace them. They worked very diligently during this transitional time for us and finished in a very positive way.
The staff was able to say goodbye in the morning after our devotional/prayer time. The children were able to say goodbye during assembly. Finally, the parents were able to say goodbye after the graduation ceremony. Teacher Ronald stated that he will be taking CGA's mission with him into the public schools, which is "To See God's Kingdom Come to Kenya through the Lives of these Children." Both of them talked about their growth as teachers over the last four years, but also about their growth spiritually through their time at CGA. It was very encouraging to our whole staff to hear their wonderful comments.
Mr. Odhiambo has been mostly teaching in the upper primary classes (6th – 8th). His area of expertise was in Kiswahili. He took that subject to heights we have never seen before, earning a reputation as one of the best Kiswahili teachers in Mbita District. Last year's class finished 2nd among 100 schools within the district. He was strict with the children, working very hard while also demanding the students strive for a high level.
Teacher Ronald has been teaching in the lower primary for the past five years. He has been the 2nd grade class teacher for four straight years, providing our children with a strong foundation academically in Math, Social Studies and Science. He was very loving and friendly to the young students, eager to put his arm around them, encourage them and laugh with them.
Both of them will be dearly missed, but we are also proud of what God has done in them and through them in the past 5 years; and at the same time, excited for what He will continue to do in their lives in the coming years!
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