President celebrates with Marabella students

President Paula Mae-Weekes yesterday celebrated the 40th anniversary of Marabella North Secondary School, reminding students that every small action is significant for society.She said, “Your contribution to the nation does not have to be a big thing or a grand gesture.

Never think of yourselves or what you can do, as too insignificant, or, estimate the contribution you can make to our society.”

The school recognised 30 students and their parents for completing a self-development programme, Me, Myself and I. Prizes were distributed for their initiative, which entailed workshops and re-enacting real-life scenarios.

The programme addressed life skills and issues such as behaviour, character development, peer pressure, health and safety and family interaction. The initiative targeted psychosocial issues among students, such as auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, non-verbal learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Weekes agreed that students should be trained to deal with challenges.

"Not only should our children be trained in their scholarly academic pursuits, but they must also be trained in navigating the inevitable challenges that may come their way."

They are our future leaders and their emotional, psychological and other needs, must be met, especially during their formative years."

She highlighted the many stumbling blocks youths are faced with daily, and urged the school’s students to be good citizens and contribute to the development of the country.

Guidance officer Sherma Coar said Marabella North Secondary is the first school to launch such an initiative. She heaped praise on the school’s guidance counsellors for creating the curriculum for the programme.

Coar said, "This was done to help the students face the adversaries that would be thrown at them on a daily basis and to make them better citizens. We wanted to step away from the curriculum and to work with the students and their parents and address the psychosocial issues that the students are plagued with and the adverse effects it has on them."