The Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School on Wednesday morning, February 5th, launched the Ethne Richardson Entrepreneurship Exposition in honor of Tr. Ethne, a longstanding business teacher at the school, but who has now retired.
The school’s Principal, Mrs. Rita Celestine Carty, gave a brief account of the kind of dedication which Mrs. Richardson exemplified as a committed teacher. In part, she stated: “Mrs. Ethne Richardson was one of the first teachers at the School, and in the region, to pilot the CXC Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). In 1998 she piloted CAPE Accounting, and in 2000 CAPE Management of Business. When other islands were shunning CXC, she was helping the institution make inroads. She is proud to meet and greet many past students who are now accountants and prominent business people.”
In recognizing the kind of emphasis that Mrs. Richardson placed on the value of education, the Principal noted: “Education has always been a priority and a driving force in Mrs. Richardson’s life, and she pushed herself to obtain higher education. She self-financed her Bachelor’s Degree in 1993 and also attained the status of Master in Public Sector Management in 2007.”
Due to her affiliation with CXC, the Principal made special mention of the fact that Mrs. Richardson served Anguilla on this examining board for several years, while rendering her service to other educational programmes.
The Principal continued: “Mrs. Richardson represented the ALHCS and Anguilla as a CXC Committee Member for six years. She was a member of the CXC Final Awards Committee and a member of the, Secondary Education Council. She also served as a Subject Panel Member for CAPE Accounting and helped to revise the Accounting syllabus in 2011. In addition, Mrs. Richardson served as an Executive Member of the Anguilla Teachers’ Union, on two separate occasions, as Treasurer.”
In declaring the exhibition open, Mrs. Richardson said: “I consider this as an unexpected privilege. I thank the Business Department and the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, for bestowing this honor on me, and I now declare the Ethne Richardson Entrepreneurship Exposition now open.”
There were numerous stalls at the entrepreneurship exhibition which started at 10:00 a.m. and lasted till 4:00 p.m. The Anguillian took the opportunity to speak with some of the budding proprietors.
We first met with nineteen year old Jarian Fleming whose business name is Titanium Audio-Visual. He explained: “I am a Lighting Designer. I design and programme lighting effects for stage shows, concerts, carnivals and any musical event. I specialize in creating 3-D renderings. It is necessary that I make a visit to the event venue beforehand to plan correctly for my displays. I have done work for many local shows — as well as for carnivals further afield like in St. Maarten, Dominica, St. Croix, and St. Thomas.” (Jarian is the son of Mr. Gilbert (GAF) Fleming of Titanium Sounds.)
Next, we spoke to Carmel Gumbs. He said: “I am an Artist by profession, specializing in painting. I do large scale portraits and landscapes, and I paint anything that comes to me by inspiration. I am currently studying at Ani Art Academy, and I will be soon completing my programme there. I will then take my art on an international market. Recently, I have been engaged in an exhibition in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Lovette’s Fine Art Gallery which has provided me with a lot of experience in the field of art.” Carmel is the son of Tr. Avonel Griffith of the ALHCS.
We then visited a stall that specializes in tasty sweet treats. The young entrepreneur there gave us a cordial welcome. She said: “My name is Keisha Edwards and I own Keisha’s Sweet Treats. I feature a wide range of sweets including decadent chocolate, fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and healthy granola bars. Everyone who tries these granola bars really likes them. I was eighteen years old when I started this business. My mom and dad support me in it, but I work with the school, and whatever I make I invest into my delicacies ‘cause I am determined to see my business grow.”
According to the Principal, there is an entrepreneurial nature embedded deep within Tr. Ethne Richardson. She said that the Orange House franchise benefited greatly from her entrepreneurial spirit, and students who enrolled in the Junior Achievement Programme, which she coordinated, also benefited greatly.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
