Assistant Superintendent of Police Jonathan Nichols of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force has challenged students of the Adelphi Secondary School to live a life where their autographs will be sought instead of their finger prints.{{more}}

At the school’s second Career Day Programme held on Tuesday, February 22, Nichols told the students that one act of criminality can change their whole life. Hence his reason for advising them to stay out of crime and violent activities.

He also appealed to the students to reflect on their lives regularly.

The students were warned that one can be held accountable for a crime in St.Vincent and the Grenadines as early as at the age of eight.

“What that means is that once you have attained age eight, you can be convicted of a crime and that would be on your record at the police station. … Between eight, nine, ten, eleven, you might have done something, a crime you forget. You get to age sixteen, seventeen, you go to secondary school, maybe college, now you want to go to university and they say you want a police record,” said Nichols as he warned the students they would now have to explain why they have a criminal record. He said the same request is made by some companies, and sometimes when this happens, the person fails to get the job.

He told the students that they can predict the future by choosing the correct path in life.

“What you are doing here now is predicting your future. This is what you do now, the instructions that you get in school, the application to your academics, that’s creating your future. That’s predicting it and creating it at the same time.

“What we are saying is that if you get involved in crime and violence you are also predicting and creating your future, because you are predicting a life of criminality, where you will end up in prison where your finger prints not your autographs will be sought,” said Nichols.

Principal of the Adelphi Secondary School Hugh Thomas said his institution has been a bastion in the field of Education in that area of the country since its inception in 1971.

He mentioned the successes of the school in providing a cadre of professionals as well as a recent award received for scoring the most improved performance in the CXC CSEC exams. He said his school also received the award for the Best Kept School.

Thomas said while some may say that the Adelphi Secondary School does not receive many students who passed the Common Entrance Examination, persons must not be fooled.

“Over the years we have taken students whose reading level was at the kindergarten, and some below, and we have moulded them and provided them with the necessary intervention. We have seen them graduate here with five, six, seven and eight subjects,” said Thomas.

He said sometimes it baffles the imagination after scoring successes by helping to refine students who had “rough edges” and “untamed personalities”.

Delivering the featured address on the theme “Making it work in challenging times”, Education Officer with responsibility for Career Guidance Kathleen Jeffers told the students that young people today are faced by a complex and rapidly changing society.

She said they can successfully adapt to the changes by being knowledgeable about themselves and personality types, careers and career options available, understanding the challenges that they face and how to cope with them, and making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. She also told the students that they also need to be equipped with basics skills as well as transferrable social skills.

“You also need to have employable skills. Today, we know that employers need the best students. The competition is very strong. Now if you are prepared and your life is enhanced with all these skills, I am sure you are going to be right for the market,” said Jeffers.

She told the students that they need to know how to negotiate, communicate, and problem solve. She also told them that they also need to have the right attitude towards self, others and authority.

The Narcotics Division of the Royal St.Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, LIME, VINLEC, Technical College, and the Tourism Authority had booths at the event. (HN)