SVGCC Physical Education students rank high on region’s CAPE list

by Rohan Thomas

Four students from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) are among the top 10 on the regional merit list in Physical Education (P.E.) Unit Two at the 2017 May/June sitting of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

The four, three females and one male, are Cherise Roberts, who placed third, Glenda Harry – fourth, Akinde Samuel – seventh and Shaniqua Laborde – ninth.

This made it the best showing by Vincentian students in the regional top 10 rankings, in a single subject area.

All four were delighted at their achievements, but called for Physical Education to be given greater recognition here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Thrilled by her success, Roberts stated, “When I found that I was among the top performers in the region for Physical Education, I was elated; as a matter of fact, I was flabbergasted…. I thank God continuously for keeping me, listening to my prayers and making this possible.

“Preparing for the exam was not an easy task…. Preparation for this exam was just as intense as my Biology exam…. There is a wealth of information you have to get in and understand and to prepare for this exam; hence, why I think that PE is an underrated subject,” she noted.

Roberts said she did not choose to pursue PE by accident.

“I am aspiring to a career in physiotherapy and/or massage therapy and I thought that PE would help in areas such as physiology, anatomy and biomechanics, which it did,” Roberts reasoned.

Meanwhile, Harry’s pursuit in Physical Education was planned, as it is something she wanted to do.

“I did athletics at the Girls’ High School and was encouraged to get [an] advanced [level certificate] in sports and physical education,” Harry disclosed.

She said transferring from having some practical knowledge to a heavy theoretical syllabus was a bit challenging at first.

“There is so much theoretical aspect that you have to do, but it was well managed, thanks to Mr [Roxell] John, our main lecturer,” Harry said.

She has ambitions of advancing her studies in Physical Education, but laments that “PE is not being taken seriously here in St Vincent and the Grenadines by the Government.”

For Akinde Samuel, PE studies have helped to put some of his long-term goals into perspective.

“My goal really is to become a doctor, to study in the field of medicine, namely sports science, and PE has many aspects of science attached to it,” he noted.

Samuel, who is an avid footballer, said he is optimistically looking forward to getting the opportunity to fulfil his dreams of furthering his studies.

Buoyed by his top-10 placement in the regional examination, Samuel said preparing for the exams was demanding.

“Finding past papers was a big problem, as we only got those provided by Mr John and from classmates; those were what we had available to work with,” Samuel reflected.

And, Shaniqua La Borde noted that preparations were made easy by John’s input and style of delivery of the topics.

Looking ahead, La Borde stated, “If given the opportunity, I would be happy to further my studies, so that I can contribute more to the development of sports in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

And, La Borde is getting some insight into delivering what she has learnt, as currently, she is attached to the Troumaca Ontario Secondary School, where she is on the Government’s Youth Empowerment Services (YES) programme.

Sharing in the achievement of the students is the Physical Education lecturer and sports co-ordinator at the SVGCC, Roxell John.

“The news that four of our students made the CAPE top-10 merit list for performers in Physical Education Unit Two for the 2017 exam came at a very good time for us,” John told SEARCHLIGHT.

“This was the first batch of students that I had the opportunity to teach for both units, and the Unit Two results were quite pleasing and in some cases expected…. The eight grade ones, nine twos and two threes definitely indicate that they did some good work in Unit Two and had matured to understand what was required to attain quality grades,” John reasoned.

He added, “I often challenge my students to be a cut above rest, so as to be marketable anywhere in the world, and having four students in the top-10 merit list in the Caribbean is testimony to them pushing for those heights.”

And, director of the SVGCC Nigel Scott had commendations for John. “Mr John must be especially commended, as this is the first year that so many Vincentian students have been ranked in the top-10 regionally for a single subject,” Scott wrote in a release from the SVGCC.