West St George Secondary School celebrates 22 years

On Wednesday September 16, 2026, the West St George Secondary School (WSGSS), in Belair celebrated its 22nd year of operation with a thanksgiving service at the school that included past and present students, past principals and deputies, teachers, and education officials among others.

The West St George Secondary School opened its doors on September 16, 2004.

In a release, the school said it was honoured with the presence of the first principal, Alinda Hypolite; the second principal, Asfo Stephens; and the third principal Dianne Williams.

Area representative Kashaka Cupid, who is also Minister of Youth, Culture and Creative Industries; and Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Innovation Phillip Jackson, were also in the audience.

The anniversary service was held under the theme “Our Past Our Present Our Legacy”. The first presentation was the sermon delivered by 2016 graduate and past student Troy Archibald who encouraged the students not to let past failures limit their present success. Citing his failure at the then Common Entrance exam, he said it was at that time he made the decision to change his attitude and fully apply himself to his school work.

Using the life story of Moses, pastor Archibald summarized that we must use our past as a foundation, and our present as preparation in order that our future can become our realization of success and our true potential.

In her address, principal Afi Martin, reflected on the early years of the institution and expressed that the school’s misunderstood beginning is transforming it into a beacon of holistic triumph. The principal also paid tribute to her predecessors.

Minister Cupid, encouraged the students to make optimum use of their learning opportunities to make the school the best learning institution in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He also pledged to assist the school in every way he possibly can during his tenure in office.

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Phillip Jackson, in his remarks, told the students of the government’s initiatives to pay their CXC sign-up costs and to slash their SVG Community College fees by up to 50%. He told students that the government is working to ensure that they have a bright future.

The feature speaker at the thanksgiving service was another past student, E. Allison Davis (class of 2017 and Valedictorian) who candidly and passionately told students not to allow negative public opinions about their school to stop them from learning or achieving their fullest potential. Admitting that when she found out that she would be attending the West St George Secondary School she was not happy and did not want to go to the school, Davis said it was her mother who helped her see things properly. She noted that success does not come just from the school you attend, you can be successful at any school as long as you are willing to work hard and remain committed to learning.