Union Island Secondary gets new building

Like most young people returning to school after the summer holidays, the students of the Union Island Secondary School were excited about their first day back – not only for being reunited with their peers, but more so because of the new building that is housing them!{{more}}

On Monday, September 7, students and teachers attended an official opening assembly, which saw addresses by Director of Grenadine Affairs Edwin Snagg, Parliamentary Representative Terrence Ollivierre and Father Andrew Roache.

Principal Godwin James spoke to SEARCHLIGHT about the school’s fresh start. “The new building is providing us with better facilities that we can better deliver the school curriculum with.” At the old site, the school suffered from serious overcrowding and “inadequate laboratory facilities”.

James is also optimistic that the new environment will inspire students to perform better in the 2010 Caribbean Certificate of Secondary School Level Competence (CCSLC) and CXC Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

The school’s 2009 CSEC pass rate showed a significant increase – from 50 per cent in 2008 to 64 per cent. Kennoll Wilson, the school’s top performer, gained 9 subjects this year, and passed English when he was in Form Four. “We used that as a motivation for our students… to aspire to,” James boasted.

Although they have not yet received the desktop computers and new furniture promised by the Ministry of Education, they have been guaranteed to receive them before the end of the school year.

James expressed the elation that students and teachers are feeling about the school’s good fortune. “Everybody is excited… We have been promised [new] facilities over the years. Now that we have it, it’s a great relief! It has really brought down the tension and frustration…”

At a cost of EC$12.1 million, the new school has increased space and new laboratories for Science and Computing. There are 220 students on roll, with 16 teachers.

The majority of students reside on Union Island, with less than 3 per cent traveling from neighbouring islands Mayreau and Canouan. (JSV)