How I survived high school without school fees

My high school years were not easy ones. I was, and remain, the student with the highest outstanding fee balance at the institution. I had once been sponsored by the county government, but they failed to honour their commitment, leaving me to fend for myself. My mother was a small-scale farmer, and I had no knowledge of my father's whereabouts.
As a result, I resorted to sneaking into school during opening days. Whenever the deputy principal read out the names of students who were to be sent home for unpaid fees, I would quietly confirm myself as absent to avoid detection.
This continued until my fourth year in high school, when I participated in an English competition and was selected to deliver the vote of thanks. It was through this event that I became known within the school. Following this, the deputy principal allowed me to remain in school without clearing my fee balance, and it is through his intervention that I was able to survive those difficult years.
During the clearance process, it was also the deputy principal who came to my aid, advising me to settle only the minor debts, such as those for reams of paper and other small items. The principal, however, never issued me the original result slip; instead, he provided me with a certified copy.
I subsequently registered for college and, by God's grace, continue to make good progress to this day.