Education

With Anguilla caught in the throes of the difficult financial situation, private enterprise, in the form of the Windsong Foundation, has again pitched in to provide fundingfor the Governmentto finance two important education projects. These are the re-development of the Valley Primary School and the recently-introduced Literacy Programme of the Ministry of Education.

Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett, announced on Monday, October 17, the appointment of Ms. Vanessa John, as Literacy Champion.

Speaking to reporters at a press briefing this week, on the financing of two projects of the Ministry of Education, by the Windsong Foundation, Minister Edison Baird was asked how the Literacy Programme fitted in with the Education Bill and what was now the status of that much-delayed draft legislation.

One of the highlights of the 2011 Vector Awareness programme of activities in Anguilla was an Inter-house Spelling B Competition for Campus A students at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. It was held at the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium on Monday, October 17.

The students and tutors of WISE Anguilla were invited to spend a morning at HM Prison on Thursday 13th October. This activity formed part of a series of informative tours that the WISE students have been undertaking in the various criminal justice departments.

An exciting feature, which the Department of Environment has come up with, in conjunction with the schools of Anguilla, is a guided tour of the various Amerindian sites on the island.

The Technology Club started undertaking activities to celebrate 25 Years of Comprehensive Education in Anguilla with its first ever summer camp. The camp held in July was called E2TC which stands for Electronics, Engineering, Technology and Computers. During the week-long camp, the 17 participants between the ages of 9 -13 years were able to complete a number of different activities. The participants were divided into 2 groups. Each group had a teacher and 2 assistants.

In recent times here in Anguilla we have been faced with a number of crimes involving youth. And questions that have continued to bombard the media have ranged from: What has gone wrong with our youth? Why are parents shirking their responsibilities?

Over the past couple of months extensive work has been carried out on the formerly known Anguilla Community Center which now serves as the Music Room at Campus A.

Saint James School of Medicine in Anguilla has welcomed fifty-four new students for its training programme, as part of its plans to steadily increase the number of enrollments. Prior to their arrival, there were sixty students already at the campus and well into their basic education. Among them are two Anguillians. A third local student recently went on to the United States to further her studies as part of the study programme.

A new school, established by First Steps Foundation, and approved by the Ministry of Education to accommodate 25 children ranging in age from 3-5 years old, is in operation in Anguilla. It is located off the Cauls Pond Road, and behind The Anguillian.

Some thirty-three students in Anguilla were already registered for classes on Monday this week, September 5, at the official start of the Associate Degree Programmes at the Community College. Of that number, 19 were enrolled in Hospitality Studies and the other 14 in Business Studies. Further registrations were still expected in the coming days, according to Registrar, Carla Harris.

The 240 first- year students at Campus B, at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, have been counselled to stay away from all forms of anti-social behaviour. The advice came on Friday, September 2, at an orientation session ahead of the official start of classes on Monday, September 5.

On July 21, 2011, Eusvon L. Brooks graduated from the University of Northampton in the United Kingdom with a BSc (Hons) Biology degree. She completed her freshman and sophomore years at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), St. Thomas Campus, prior to transferring to the United Kingdom.

Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, Chair of the Anguilla Community Foundation and the Executive Director, Mrs. Arlene Bailey Franklin, presented scholarship awards to the 2011 recipients. Two scholarships which were awarded included: The Anguilla College Scholarship for students interested in medical services or data processing. The Mouton Scholarship is for students pursuing post secondary education in any field.

The Valley Primary School, having the largest student population of all the other such schools in Anguilla, had the biggest graduation of students on Monday, July 4.

Fifty students graduated from the Orealia Kelly Primary School on July 5, where the theme of the ceremony was “Together we Aspire, Together we Achieve.”
The keynote speaker was Shellya Rogers, a former student, now the reigning Miss Anguilla. She also placed first runner-up in the recent Miss Caribbean World Pageant.

While the primary schools have graduated a number of their students, who will now be attending Campus B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School in September, they are being supplied with new pre-school pupils.

The Central Christian Primary School, run by the Central Baptist Church at Rey Hill, is to send fifteen students to Campus B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School in September.

The Anglican Church-run St. Mary’s Pre-School is showing steady growth, despite the number of children now about to leave there to enter the Government Primary School education system.