Welcome Speech Essay Examples
Welcome speeches are delivered as a gesture of goodwill to welcome and appreciate all the people, including dignitaries, who took their time to come to a function. It is usually direct and brief. However, you may spice it up a bit to build a bit of suspense and momentum to the ceremony.
One way to do this is by giving the audience a brief history of the function, how it started, what was the motivation behind it and include some amazing facts about the ceremony. If it is a welcome speech about a dignitary, say a chief guest, include some amazing story about him to increase his popularity. The examples below highlights these two cases.
Welcome Speech for Students’ Award Ceremony
Honorable Principal, Deputy Principal, Teachers, Parents, Students and everyone else that is present, good afternoon. I would like to officially welcome you all to this year’s students’ award ceremony. I would like thank you personally and also on behalf of the whole school’s management for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to this function. I’m happy to announce that today you came in large numbers that we had to relocate outdoors from our hall to be able to accommodate all of you.
As you are all aware, this function is done annually and has been part of this school’s culture for approximately thirty years now. Just to give you a quick recap of how the award show was started. When this school was started, it was primarily focused on academic excellence. Kindly note that we have not deviated from that primary goal. It goes without saying therefore that we awarded students who excelled in education only. It was an error on our part and we have lived to regret greatly.
However, the fault was not entirely ours. When the school was still in its infancy, it had limited resources and so, we concentrated primarily on education. Other departments were affected as a result.
However, one peculiar thing happened that changed the course of history for this school. Two of the most affected departments were sports and theatre. They were both underfunded with no facilities and had no coaches and drama teachers to see the students through. With no one to guide them, the students in these two departments never gave up. In the evenings they would go to their various stations and they practiced voluntarily.
From their sheer will and passion, these students trudged on with their extra curricula activities, even as their grades remained stagnant or plummeted further. Most of them were average at best academically and we did all our best to push them to divert all their excessive energies to academics.
Our concerns did not deter them. In fact, it was like we were fueling their passion. Their hobbies became obsessions and we could not quite comprehend how two completely unrelated departments could share so much similarities in their quest for greatness. To cut the long story short, the two departments enrolled for national competitions for sports and drama. Our athletics team was more impressive and it surged its way to the national finals.
Although we did not win, one of our finest sprinters emerged fourth in the whole competitions, missing the bronze medal by micro seconds. The drama team did not go far like the athletics team, however it produced one of the best singers in Yolanda Briggs, who is now a reputable music professor.
The courage of these selfless students revealed to us how chastising our education system was. We openly favored one group of intellectuals, while we neglected others. What they showed us is that while they were average students academically, they were real geniuses in other areas. Their efforts saw us get sponsorships from the government, companies and individuals, which helped this institution to be what it is today.
We therefore set up this function to: first commemorate our pioneer drama and sports team for their exemplary work; secondly, to award all students who have excelled in all areas, not just in academics; and lastly, to act as a reminder of the destructive nature of the caste system that destroys dreams of millions of students all over the world.
So, it has come to pass that this function has become part and parcel of the school’s culture for thirty years now. It highlights one of the core values of this institution, that is, inclusivity and fairness in service delivery. Each year we award students who did exceptionally well in all fields. It is a fact that rewards are effective in improving performance in all areas of life. This is mostly because people derive a lot of satisfaction from knowing that people appreciate their efforts.
This is also true in education. Students’ performance is exemplified when the school appreciates their hard work. Since its inception in the 1980s, we have seen an upward surge in students’ performance. The award ceremony has created a healthy competitive environment, where students can showcase their various talents and get rewarded for them.
However, we discourage competition that is purely motivated by awards. These competitions are organized on the basis that students can get the perfect environment for self-development. The truth of the matter is not everyone will walk out of here with an award, but that does mean they are losers. In our eyes they are all winners. The most important thing is that we all stuck to the script and the competitive spirit prevailed. Although we encountered several challenges on the way, there were no instances of cheating or underhanded methods of winning. Everyone gave their level best. Unfortunately, we can only award the cream of the crop.
However, for those of you who will not be fortunate enough to be recognized in this podium today, just know that there is always room for improvement. It is through our mistakes that we learn and grow and not through our successes. Every dog has its day. So, don’t fret about today. Your day will come. It may be in this institution or it may be out there in the real world. For those of you who will be awarded tonight, do not let pride take hold of you.
You should maintain the same virtues of hard work, humility and discipline that led you to where you are today. Rarely do we see winners defend their positions in the next competitions. So beware, there is always someone behind you, who is working twice as hard as you to take your spot. Remember this: getting to the top is easy, staying on top is the hardest part.
Lastly, I would like to welcome our master of ceremony Mrs. Gladys Clarke to guide us through. Please give her a round of applause as she comes to the dais, thank you.
Welcome Speech for the Chief Guest by the Principal after he/she has completed his Speech
As I wind up my speech for today, I would like to mention a few things about our honorable chief Guest, Mr. XXXXXX. Most of you know him, as the tough and no nonsense Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in XXXX University. What most of you do not know is that I have known him since we were young. And I can tell you for a fact that he is one of the most principled people I have ever known.
When this school started, we faced a lot of opposition from all quarters, including senior political figures in the education department. The argument was that the location we chose for the school was not conducive and would expose both teachers and children to a lot of risks.
As we were going through all these challenges, our honorable chief guest was at the time working in the Department of Education. Using his support and contacts, we were able to lobby for support from the government and the institution was given leeway to start operations on July 7, 1995.
Looking at all the strides we have made as an institution today, I humbly admit that we would not have where we are, were it not for him. He put both his reputation and job on the line by supporting us and so, it is only right that we accord him with all the praise that befits this man of courage and character.
It is actually an insult to call him the Chief Guest, because he is more than that- he is family. His contribution to this institution did not end there, he has been an active member of the school board of directors and over the years, he has lobbied for a lot of funds for the school to ensure that it runs smoothly. He gave hope to the young generation of this area, when everyone including the government turned a blind eye on them. I’m happy to announce that since this school started the rate of crime in this region has reduced significantly.
Through his scholarships, many boys and girls have been able to access free education and as a result, they have made something out of their lives.
Apart from his achievements in the field of education, he is also a husband, a father, my friend and above all a God fearing man. I would request that we all stand up, prepare our hands and give him a standing ovation, as our chief guest comes to the dais. Thank you.
