In the run-up to the Christmas holidays, the Annual Speech Night Report of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School was presented at the open air Campus B Quadrangle on Thursday, December 13, by the recently-appointed Principal, Mrs. Rita Celestine Carty.
According to her, the report chronicled “the experiences of the ALHCS for the year immediately following the devastation wrought on the physical structure of Anguilla, as a whole, and the educational institution in particular by Hurricane Irma.”
In her full length 83-Page report, Mrs. Carty continued: “The academic year 2017-2018 was under the principalship of Mrs. Joyce Webster-Stuart and was indeed one with a difference. The details herein, therefore, serve not only the usual function of a Speech Night Report, but to etch on the annals of history the decisions made, and the results achieved, after an event which could have crippled the institution and jeopardize its entire future.
“We are indeed proud of the problem-solving mode adopted by the school, and all that we were able to achieve during the 2017-2018 school year. I do believe that the Albena Lake-Hodge School deserves a standing ovation.”
She did not have to unduly plead for that response as there was a spontaneous standing ovation from the large number of persons in attendance.
The report spoke about the functioning of all three campuses of the school; the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma; the displacement of students and teachers; introduction of a shift system in view of a shortage of classroom space; the school’s curriculum; external examinations and performance of students; assistance received by the school and several other matters.
In the conclusion to her report – the most comprehensive ever delivered – Mrs. Carty stated: “The 2017-2018 school year was one that began with despair, and many uncertainties, but proved to be one in which staff and students overcame. The post Irma year taught all of us the true meaning of resilience, team work and perseverance.
“It is clear that the school remained committed to the vision and mission to educate all students to the best of their ability and ours in a positive, warm, predicable and safe school environment where educators and students are respected, responsible and resilient, and where learning is truly valued and creativity and innovation are the norm.”
Rita Celestine Carty
The programme for the Speech Night event was virtually replete with Christmas Season carols and other renditions by the ALHCS Steel Orchestra, Concert Band, School Choir and Recorder Ensemble.
Towards the end of the programme was the time-consuming distribution of awards. Some 220 students were awarded for outstanding academic performance; 30 for their music skills; 29 for outstanding athletic performance; 6 for their performance in the Leeward Islands Debating Competition; and 3 for their work in the Environmental Club.
