By Michron Robinson
Under the theme Living Resilience, Realizing Success students of the Springer Memorial School were on Friday morning urged to recognize the relevance of pressing on even in the face of difficulties.
Social Development Adviser with the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Richard Carter gave the featured address at the school’s speech day ceremony and spoke extensively about perseverance and resilience.
“You are very much at the centre of the theme of living resilience, realising success because we want to help you to build your resilience and realize your success,” he said to the students.
While quoting Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, he added, “This country cannot afford the luxury of the disruption of policy or trajectory because we simply do not have the buffer to be able to recover from the reality that the world we live in is truly challenged on so many fronts. Therefore, it is important that we guard everything we have in order to become resilient.”
“When we speak about resilience, we are talking about the ability to bounce back… being resilient doesn’t mean the person does not experience stress, emotional upheaval or suffering but it means the ability to work through these extreme life events and emerge at the other end with the ability to carry on,” Carter pointed out.
The Chairman’s Award was give to Shania King-Byer as the Best All-Round student.
While speaking directly to the parents in the Government Hill, St Michael hall, he asked, “How many of you allow your children to get away with things that you would never have gotten away with as parents?” For those parents who raised their hands in the audience, he reminded them that they should never lower their standards to accommodate their children. “Standards are standards in any age. Even though we are past the ‘children must be seen and not heard’ days, we are doing more harm than good when we let our standards slip.”
He said not enforcing certain measures can cause failure for the child later in life: “When we do not enforce discipline, respect for authority, principles and values we are failing our children, we are failing our schools and we are failing in our duty to the Creator who has blessed us with these cherished children,” he cautioned.
The Principal’s Award was presented to Ashlee Bovell (left). She shares a moment with retired Head of the Mathematics Department Adrian Clarke.
He had a warning for those parents who do not instill core principles such as discipline. “The parents who truly want to raise a resilient child know that self discipline, character, respect and self-esteem are the foundation principles for resilience and success. If the child does not get them from us, the parents, then they are off to a bad start and will always be playing catch up in an extremely harsh and unforgiving world,” he warned.
Retired head of the Mathematics Department Adrian Clarke awards Ashania Mason with the Allencia Crichlow Memorial Ward.
He also had a word for the staff of the school: “I feel a great deal of empathy with our secondary school teachers. You must navigate a much more challenging world than a generation ago, an environment in which you are called to deliver an ever expanding curriculum, where the threat of litigation or even violence from those you are trying to help is very real, where parents and teachers no longer appear to be on the same page.”
Featured Speaker Social Development Adviser with the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Richard Carter.
He reminded them of the importance of the roles they play. “Your role in building the resilience of Springer Memorial as an institution, your role in building the resilience of your students, your role in supporting the resilience of your fellow teachers is greater than ever.”
Principal Mitchelle Maxwell.
Carter also hailed the ancillary staff of Springer, saying that the school’s functioning in excellence is partly because of them.
During her address, Principal of the school Mitchelle Maxwell said that even in the face of the ongoing pandemic, the students still performed relatively well despite the pressures. “Our efforts in academics remain consistent and impressive even with the challenges of COVID-19. In our review of the examination performances, we recognize there are some [matters] which are of concern and need urgent and sustained intervention,” she informed.
A packed hall was present for Springer Memorial’s Speech Day.
She applauded the effort shown by the students. “Your ability to apply yourselves even in the most difficult of times is testimony to your grit and determination. Your efforts are indeed commendable,” she said to applause.
Although she noted that the deficiencies in pedagogy at the school cannot be fixed in haste, she promised constant review of those issues. The school saw a 100 per cent pass rate in Agriculture, Family and Resource Management, Building and Furniture Technology, Theatre Arts, Technical Drawing, Physical Education and Sport and Technical Drawing at the CXC level. Within CAPE, there was a 100 per cent pass rate for Art and Design (Unit 1), Caribbean Studies Food and Nutrition (1 and 2), Management of Business, amongst other subjects.
The Principal’s award went to Ashlee Bovell, while the Spirit of Springer Award went to Sariah Small. (MR)
