There has been a lot of excitement at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. It sprang from the school’s first club fair which gave all of the Campus B and Camps A students opportunities to become members of some twenty-three clubs.
Some of the clubs existed previously. On Friday, September 23, the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium was crowded to capacity as the students gathered at various designated areas to select which of the previous and new clubs they would like to join.
The aim of the clubs is to provide a variation of activities which, in addition to their class work, would enable the students to busy themselves with curricular and extra-curricular activities.
Principal of the school, Mrs. Joyce Webster-Stuart, told The Anguillian: “The reason for having the clubs is that we need the participation of students in various activities rather than just book work like reading, math and science or whatever. We want them to be involved in social activities but with an educational or learning purpose: hence our clubs. The various departments of the school were asked to choose a club that would represent them. We want every student, and staff member, as well, to be in a club of their choice.”
Deputy Principal, Mrs. Rita Celestine-Carty, gave further insight into the clubs. “At the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School we can calculate twenty-three clubs and we want all our students to be aware of the clubs and to see which of them they best like to join. The clubs are not only for students but staff members as well because, if the student membership increases, the clubs would need more support from the faculty. This fair is therefore for both students and teachers. It is promoting the objectives, activities and themes of the clubs using slide shows, graphics, and a whole range of other material to attract membership. This is our first school fair and we will be holding it every year to ensure that as many club members as possible can be positively engaged in extra-curriculum activities.”
The clubs include the Concert Band, the Steel Orchestra, the School Choir, and the Inter-school Houses. Throughout the year, students holding membership in the houses can promote them by entering such competitions as the Modern Language Quiz, the Environmental Spelling B, the Inter-House Debating Competition, the Math Quiz and the regular Food and Nutrition Quiz. All of this is in addition to the traditional sporting activities associated with the houses. Other school clubs include Caribbean Time, Travel 360, the Incubators’ Club (which is an entrepreneurial club), the Optimist and Leo Clubs, the Cadet Corps, Just for Boys and Girls’Talk.
Mrs Celistine-Carty explained that: “The thinking behind these clubs is that we want to find ways to develop our students rather than simply telling them to be quiet in class, because we know they have a lot of energy and this energy can be positively channelled so that their overall personal development can be enhanced. We want to cater to the whole child in our classrooms through our curricular activities and also outside our classrooms through our extra-curricular activities.”
