The doors of the St. Martin’s Secondary School were opened to past students on Oct. 24 as the principal, staff and students welcomed them to their mentorship programme.
This programme was designed to encourage the students who are currently enrolled to aim for academic excellence.
It is also the hope of the school’s administration that it would help students to boost their morale and enable personal growth.
During their individual sessions with the students, the mentors engaged the boys in discussions on topics, such as “Respect for self and others”, “Good manners and behaviour are essential” and “The effects of drugs on adolescents”.
The sessions were well-received by the students who enthusiastically participated in the discussions.
They reported that they learned a lot through their interactions with their mentors and expressed the desire to have them return for similar sessions.
Likewise, the mentors were honoured to have been given the opportunity to address the students and commended the principal and staff on this initiative. They embraced the opportunity to not only speak on their assigned topics but also to reminisce about their tenure at the institution and urged the principal to make this a regular event.
The session was not the first of its kind at this institution.
Over the past two years, the principal and staff have periodically invited past students to have 30-minute motivational sessions with the students, and having recognised the positive impact this programme has had on the students they improved on it and hosted it in this manner.
What a wonderful forward thinking idea, well done all.
My sentiments exactly, Peter. At my alma mater, EHS Mespo, Grace Eustace used to employ similar tools to inform and motivate the students. Now that she is retired, I do not know whether such activities are continued. In any case, the pool of mentors and presenters should be increased to include other eligible volunteers, especially Vincentians who have returned from the developed world. This would greatly supplement the academic offerings to the students.
Vinci Vin
From experience I can tell you that children are leaving school hardly being able to read and write.
Are you aware that some children can only read and write in abbreviated text which is used for sending messages from cell phones.
But I congratulate those involved in this and any other mentoring scheme. Thank you folks for your help, I would like to say in giving back. But you owe nothing to give back, education is a basic human right. Most of you like myself look the age to of had proper classic schooling under classic teachers and under the NDP.
The current education described as an education revolution is little more than an education revulsion.