Twenty nine students receive Sister Pat Award for Excellence

Twenty nine students at the St Joseph’s Convent, Marriaqua (SJCM) on Wednesday, October 23,2024, received the Sister Pat Award for Excellence .

The award, introduced in 2012, is held every year to honour the legacy of Sister Patricia-Ann Douglas, former principal of the school who died in a vehicular accident in May, 2005 in Barbados.

Receiving the award were, form one students Julian DeFreitas, Kimonique Weekes, Josephine London, Olivia Lewis, Delisa Pope, Tracy Rodgers, Jayden DeGratz and Tyler Peters. From form two were Tiani Christopher, Tessanique Rodgers, Chloe O’Neil, Kiana Antoine, Akeilia Johnson, Allanique Scipio, Ella Gurley, Leneisha Sprott, Khalil Sargeant, Kya Rodriguez, Shanika James, Natillia Paynter, Anjali Alexander and Ashley Yorke. The form three students were Princess Antrobus, Laekayhuana Davis, Morya Forde and Joy Tash. From form four were Zenniah Howard, Sebastian DeFreitas and Jollie Thomas.

The top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performer was Norrell Lavia.

Sister Pat, as she was fondly called, was the first Principal in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to allow teen mothers to continue pursuing their education, as females who became pregnant in school were being barred from continuing their education in a school setting after giving birth.

The award is the school’s way of honouring the life and work of Sister Pat, whose “thrust was to take care of the whole person, to prepare her students for the real world and to ensure the endurance of a strong, Christian value in society.”

To qualify for the award, students must maintain an average of 70 per cent or more; be punctual and have an outstanding attendance record; participate in a community service day; and must be involved in one extracurricular activity. Students demonstrating these qualities for an entire three-term academic year qualify for the award.

The aim of the award is also to motivate students to achieve and maintain high academic standards, and encourage good citizenship. A student can receive the award more than once (up to five times) and are rewarded with EC$100 cash (per award) at their graduation ceremony in form five. The SJCM has described Sister Pat, “as not just an educator” but “a beacon of hope for countless students with her belief in second chances”.

The award ceremony was held at the school’s compound in Cane End.