When School Ends In July

July in Trinidad and Tobago marks more than the start of school vacation, it’s a month of powerful transitions. Term 3 is the final chapter of the academic year, and for many children, it’s the last time they’ll sit in a familiar classroom.

Some are leaving preschool for “big school,” others are ending primary school with SEA results in hand, while Form 5 students bid farewell to friends they grew up with.

The emotions are real bittersweet, hopeful, and nostalgic. Parents are registering children at new schools, buying books, and preparing uniforms for the next chapter. In between there are celebrations, a lime at the mall, movies with friends, and shared moments that mark the end of an era.

July reminds us that endings carry beauty too. Because even as the school bell rings one last time, it’s not just an end, it’s a soft beginning.