Like all the other schools in Anguilla, Campus B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School welcomed a number of new students for the new school year on Monday, September 1.
What made Campus B more special was that it accounts for the largest number of first-year students – numbering 198 – from all the combined primary schools to begin their secondary education. For them, it is a critical part of their learning process with new and varied subjects, new rules of discipline and greater expectations of success. It was largely for this reason that the students were accompanied by their parents and guardians – at a welcome and introductory meeting in the nearby Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium.
There they met the Principal of Campuses A and B, Mrs Rita Celestine Carty; the recently-appointed Deputy Principal at Campus B, Mr Perin Richardson – and his staff including Mrs Sarah Frances, who spoke separately to the parents on various matters.
Mrs Carty gave a rundown on the meeting to The Anguillian newspaper. “It is the first day at school here for different groups of students,” she explained. “We had the first day for the first formers and they just had their assembly; we had the first day for the second formers at a separate assembly; we had a first day for the third formers at Campus A; and this afternoon we are going to have the first day, starting at about 12.15, for the fourth and fifth formers; and we also have a first day at Dove 2; a first day at WISE; and a first day at PRU. That is how our school is, and in all of those centres the children of Anguilla, who are at secondary school age, are reporting today.
“We had a special assembly where we invited the parents of the first formers because that is their first time at our school. We realise that we really need the partnership of parents in order to make the school life of students successful, and also to enhance the image and reputation of the school. We want to be on the same page as we begin the school year, so we invited the parents to hear what we tell the students; what expectations we have of them; and how we want them to conduct themselves. Then we had a separate session with parents led by the Head of Year, Mrs Sarah Frances.”
The Principal went on: “After the assembly, we had a very important activity for the first formers. This was coordinated by the Royal Anguilla Police Force. We actually cut our assembly short a little so that the students can begin their sessions with the police and others. There are eight different classrooms and different facilitators who will be speaking on different topics that are relevant to the children. The topics include anger management, hygiene and socializing – and these will go for the rest of the day. Police Officers, Shawn Lake and Augustina Carbon, have been coordinating this for the whole summer. We are very happy with their partnership. We are trying everything to set the tone for the school year so that the children can know what to expect, and that we all are on the same page as we look forward to 2019/2020 at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.”
Asked to comment on the school hours and the shift system, the Principal said: “These are strenuous sometimes but we have learnt how to be flexible. There are some teachers who work on the morning shift only, and others on the afternoon shift only. I am sure that they do not have much strain – but we also have some people who work across shifts so we have made sure that their schedule is flexible. They do not have to stay at school the whole time – especially if there is a long period of time between the classes they have to teach. We are trying to manage with the shift system but it is the best interim solution until we get a new school.”
