Barrouallie Secondary introduces programme to reward positivity

In these times where youths are not necessarily brought to the spotlight for positive things, the principal of the Barrouallie Secondary School, Kenneth Holder, sees the need to reward students for their very hard work and positivity.

He believes that for too long, we have focused on the negative things and allowed the positives to be stifled. With this in mind, Holder has made it habitual to have a luncheon after every mark reading for the top students from each class.

Students who place in the top three positions are invited to lunch where they sit and socialize with each other and watch or listen to motivational speeches. The students are recognized in assembly and encouraged to keep up the good work.

Holder and staff have also decided to recognize and reward students from every class monthly. This works by selecting a student from each class as “Student of the Month”. In selecting students, teachers take into consideration the student’s attendance, deportment, academic performance, conduct on the school compound and his/her involvement in extra-curricular activities. These exceptional students are presented with certificates that showcase a picture of him/herself and include their names, classes and reason for being rewarded.

Each month, a group picture will be taken and published in the school, with tips on how others can emulate the selected students’ behaviour and earn themselves such a certificate. These students are also invited to the luncheon, where they celebrate with the other students. The remaining students get a letter from their form teachers to take home to their parents. Parents of students who did not do so well are encouraged to come to the school to speak to the teachers to see what more can be done to assist their children.

It is still the little things that count, and in school, this is no different. These little things can cause students to behave better, work harder and “strive ever higher,” as our school motto says.

Students too, need to be celebrated. At the Barrouallie Secondary School, we do our best to bring out the best in our students. This work will continue and we look forward to working parents and the wider community, as we feed our children the education, pride, motivation and growth they need. Our vision is still “to build a secure future by developing responsible and productive citizens through relevant, holistic education”.

(Contributed by Vakeesha John – teacher at the Barrouallie Secondary School)