The Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (ALHCS) rightly comes under constant scrutiny. It is the sole public secondary school in Anguilla and therefore its many and varied stakeholders have every right to demand that it sets and meets high standards in its efforts to positively influence all aspects of students’ lives. A fair review of some of the observations made about the school would reveal that the school is often subject to unfair and uninformed comments.
Too often persons observe that the school does nothing to promote life skills or knowledge or soft skills, which are essential to students’ success in life. The subject areas to which students are exposed in the ALHCS are varied and offer many opportunities for students to be exposed and to garner important life lessons. The foundation is there and, in many respects, it is a matter for teachers and students to utilise that base to ensure the greatest positive impact on the lives of students.
The formal subject areas are not the sole areas where there are opportunities for students to gain useful knowledge or life skills. The ALHCS is replete with extracurricular activities that offer students opportunities to develop relationships with each other that require the use of soft skills, good character traits and the deployment of good habits. Some of the extracurricular activities include athletics, opportunities for travel, involvement in music related activities (Choir, Steel pan and Concert Band) and debating.
The New Young Progressive Debaters Club (NYPD) for Campus B students of the ALHCS is worthy of special mention for the role it plays in the development of students. Annually the Club hosts a debating competition which allows many students to develop and hone their communication skills. The competition culminates in the finals between the two teams that emerged victors in all the debates leading up to the finals. Reports are that annually these finals are of an exceptionally high standard, and reflect the significant grooming provided to students before they advance to the Literary and Debating Society at Campus A of the ALHCS. The NYPD Club augments the debating programme with the annual Prisca Ogolo Impromptu Contest which provides an opportunity for further development of students at the ALHCS.
The greatest commendation accorded to the NYPD is generally in respect of the timely and often national significance of the topics addressed by the students. This year’s final was held on Saturday 6th July, 2019 and the moot was indeed timely and of national significance. The moot, “The Carnival celebrations in Anguilla have a more positive than negative effect on society”, was creditably debated by the proposing team of Tia Webster and Francesca Richardson and the opposing team of Electa-Kyria Adams and Vijay Southwell. The proposing team emerged victorious, with Francesca Richardson being adjudged Best Speaker for the evening, following what was described as a closely fought contest where many salient points were presented by both teams.
Students in preparing for the debates would have been exposed to information about Anguilla’s Summer Festival. That information would have included the reason for the Summer Festival, the financial implications of the Summer Festival and its social implications. These students, no doubt, emerged from this exercise better equipped than most persons to respond to the annual query – made by members of the public – as to whether Government’s annual expenditure on the Summer Festival is justifiable. Persons who attended the debate, or who listened via radio or social media, would also now have a greater knowledge base to support their particular view as to whether the Government’s annual expenditure on the Summer Festival is justified. Knowledge was gained by students and shared with a cross section of Anguilla’s public, while the students honed their debating and general communication skills.
A careful examination of the varied offerings at the ALHCS suggests that real opportunities exist for the rounded development of students at the school. It is left to parents, teachers and students to ensure that full advantage is taken of the many opportunities to gain knowledge and skills pertinent to life beyond the school doors.
