Grade Six students of the island’s six primary schools met at the James Ronald Webster Park pavilion on the morning of Thursday, 7th March, to participate in the Department of Education’s Transition Day.
Transition Day is an annual event held to sensitise Sixth-Graders, making them aware of what is expected of them as they leave their respective primary schools and enter the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School. In essence, the purpose of Transition Day is to foster acquaintances and friendships among the students in an effort to curtail the trait of violent behaviour and bullying in high school.
The Anguillian spoke to Guidance Counsellor, Shanicia Buchanan, who was directing the students in the day’s activities. She expressed the prime purpose of Transition Day: “In September of 2022, these children will be transitioning to the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, and we put on this event annually.
“The purpose of Transition Day is primarily to provide an opportunity for Grade Six students to meet and make new friendships. But the real reason for setting this day aside is because we realised that throughout the yeas there was a certain degree of animosity among the students which was manifested when they entered the high school. So we implemented this initiative to foster bonds of friendship and camaraderie in an effort to reduce the friction that might exist among them.”
During the opening of the events for the day, a pep talk was given to the students by Pastor David Christmas, who encouraged the students to focus on 4 R’s as they enter the new school.
Pastor Christmas explained: “First, you need to have a ‘reverence’ for God. Always remember that He is the reason why you are alive and even why you are here today…
“Next, you need to have ‘respect’ for yourself and others. If you don’t have respect, first for yourself, it is difficult to respect anyone else. And while you respect yourself, do not forget to respect those who have the authority over you…
“The other ‘R’ has to do with the word ‘responsibility’. You must take personal responsibility for your school work. When you are assigned your work schedule, you must be responsible for ensuring that the work gets done. Do not find excuses for not doing it.
The last ‘R’ is for being ‘resourceful’. Whenever there is a problem where you don’t have all that you need, for instance, you must be resourceful enough to find a substitute to work in place of the thing that you are lacking.”
Pastor Christmas encouraged the students to be conscious of these four R’s as they embark on their new experiences in high school, and then he prayed for God’s guidance and protection upon them.
The students took part in several fun activities throughout the course of the day in order to achieve the goal of becoming acquainted with each other.
Transition Day is conducted annually under the auspices of the Department of Education with the collaboration of Partners Advocating for Violence Eradication (PAVE).
