Grammar School graduates off to face life’s challenges

The members of the 2013 graduating class of the St Vincent Grammar School have been challenged to always be willing to help others.{{more}}

Featured speaker Terral Mapp, a past student of the school, highlighted that his alma mater has always been a place that fostered academic success, as well as developing outstanding citizens.

“I challenge you graduands to always be willing to help others. In order to succeed immensely, one must adopt the willingness to share knowledge,” he declared.

Mapp, who was the first in his family to graduate from the St Vincent Grammar School, shared with the audience that he was strongly influenced by street activities at a young age and related instances where he threatened his teachers at the institution.

However, Mapp stressed that while his earlier experiences have helped to shape him into who he is, one must not be defined by their past.

In 2012, Mapp was valedictorian and graduated with first class honours in Accounting and Economics from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

“The streets played a pivotal role in my success today. It was there that I learned to be brave, to be radical and where I learned to stand tall and walk proudly. One of the things that the streets taught me, which I didn’t know how to manage then, was that of aggression,” he said.

“An individual’s worth is based not so much on where he is coming from, but more so on where he is going”.

In the Headmaster’s report, Frank Jones noted the highs and lows of the institution in the past school year.

While stating that one of the many high points was the 87 per cent pass rate that the school received in the 2012 CSEC examinations, Jones said that more emphasis is placed on opportunity rather than a high pass rate.

“Rather than…denying some students the opportunity to write subjects, we enter our students and do our best to prepare them,” he declared.

“We still enter all our students…regardless of their attitude or aptitude”.

Additionally, Jones, who will go on pre-retirement leave in July, pointed out various initiatives in the school, one being the integration of Food and Nutrition and Clothing and Textiles into the curriculum.

“Through the Kingstown Technical Institute, we continue to expand our curriculum offerings. Our students continue to excel in food and nutrition and have had clothing and textiles added to the menu,” Jones said.

Graduates Javed Francis and Damien McDowald are examples of this, as they received Best Subject awards for Food and Nutrition and Clothing and Textiles, respectively. The valedictorian was Kyle James, who received 14 awards, including nine subject awards.

The all boys institution saw 124 young men graduating under the theme “Facing Life’s Challenges with Renewed Hope”.(BK)