Parents urged to be more supportive of their children

Yet another call has been made for parents to be more supportive of their children and by extension the schools they attend.{{more}}

On Tuesday, at a graduation ceremony held for the grade six pupils of the Lodge Village Government School, speakers called for more support of the students, who they believe could have done much better in the recent Common Entrance Exams (CEE).

Headteacher June Russell, giving her report to the attentive audience at the Faith Deliverance Church at Redemption Sharpes, said that it was a year of hard work and disappointment for the faculty and students of the school.

Russell said that teachers and students, especially those of grade six, made a huge effort to improve the CEE performance, which they did. Of the 47 pupils who wrote the examinations, 54 per cent recorded passes, with the best performance coming from Raheisha James who placed 20th for girls.

According to Russell, only 7 of the students who failed scored an average of less than 45 per cent overall.

Russell believes that with the teachers doing all that they could have, an extra push by parents would have made the difference in the pass mark.

Though acknowledging the assistance and participation given by many of the parents over the years, she lamented the lack support by others in preparation of their children for examinations and for school events on a whole.

“Lodge Village Government School is a good school, but the parents need to come on board to make it better,” she ended her speech by saying.

Also sharing Russell’s sentiments was area representative Conrad Sayers, who called on parents to offer more support to the institution which will in turn encourage their children to shine.

He indicated that the students will need the help of their parents now more than ever, as they go on to the secondary school level.

Former student Eugene Williams, who delivered the feature address, told the graduates that it was their time to make a difference and encouraged the youngsters as they prepare to advance to the next level, to stay focused and set an example.

“Consider your options before making a choice. Do not get distracted on what you want to achieve,” Williams, a graduate teacher at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School said.

Among the events taking place during the ceremony, was the presentation of awards to outstanding students including Valedictorian Raheisha James, Most Improved Student Rashawn Williams, Best Attendance Akeem Bacchus and Most Well Rounded Student Shade Barker.

Most awards were donated by past students of the school, including Dr. Richard Byron-Cox, who donated $2,000 to the more successful students in the CEE.

Valedictorian James, addressing the gathering, thanked the parents and teachers on behalf of the graduates and called on her fellow grade sixers to stick to their graduation theme: “Shine so as to make a difference”.