St Francois Girls’ College strikes right balance

Tristyn Homer believes in balance.

“You need to be hard-working at everything you do,” she says. It’s an important quality that students like Homer associate with their school, St Francois Girls’ College. Homer, a Form Six student, and four others from the college beat 140 schools to emerge winners of the 2018 Carbon Zero Climate Quiz.

Principal Jennifer Gittens said the school’s team represents the student body and the school’s mission of “building a culture of excellence.” Members of the quiz team reflect the legacy of excellence that includes alumnae such as paediatric cardiologist Dr Diane Alexander, NASA engineer Camille Waldropt Alleyne and Industrial Court president Deborah Thomas-Felix.

The school excels in quiz competitions. Lower Six student Faithe Hackett helped the school achieve consecutive victories in the national African history quiz competition in 2016 and 2017. “It was humbling, I got a better appreciation of history,” she said.

Established in 1962 in Belmont, St Francois Girls’ College is clear about its aims. “Our goal is to educate young women so that they can take their place in society and help develop society,” said the principal. “Young people today are going through many challenges that we must overcome. Our teachers are caring, nurturing, and our girls get emotional support. People work to uplift students to the end, as it’s hard for some students.”

The school’s nurturing role pays off. In 2018 it had an 88 per cent pass rate in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and 98 per cent in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

SUCCESS BEYOND CLASSROOM

Success extends beyond the classroom to sports, visual arts, drama, dance and music. Stacey-Ann Smith, a St Francois alumna, feels grateful for her teaching experiences. Smith co-ordinates a World of Work programme, which develops students’ work skills. This year 12 students travelled to Texas and worked with medical teams under the programme.

The school also supports a strong visual and performing arts (VAPA) curriculum. “The arts help students to be all-rounded and focused,” said theatre arts teacher Lavonne Isaac-Bhola. “We recognise students’ talents and push them into competitions, not just to say they are the best, but also so that they can know the feeling of accomplishment when they achieve something.”

Victories, which serve as testaments to the school’s efforts, include being crowned the National Junior Panorama champions on numerous occasions, recording a hat-trick from 2011-2013. Success also came in the annual Sanfest contest, with the school being awarded best overall in 2018.

Displaying one of the trophies from the Sanfest 2018 win, VAPA teacher Serran said jokingly, “We had a very good time beating other schools.” The trophy was awarded for a winning rendition of God Bless Our Nation in the national patriotic song contest.

Fellow VAPA teacher Riesha Forde-Simon emphasised the importance of VAPA. “VAPA can be integrated into any subject area. It is very important for our students to be all-rounded and to expose their creativity.”

ENVIRONMENTALLY

CONSCIOUS

The school placed in this year’s Sanfest finals, an indication that VAPA programmes continue to pay off. A prominent student in the school’s performing arts programme, Tsian Callender, praised VAPA as well. “It helps expose you to culture,” she said.

Geography teacher Leah Fouchong is working to ensure the school becomes a leader in another area: the environment.

“I would love for the school to be at the forefront of the environmental movement,” said Fouchong. “My goal is for students to not just learn things in the classroom, but for them to participate in real-world scenarios.”

To make this possible, Fouchong encourages students to participate in the International Coastal Clean-up activities in September every year. She is also responsible for the school’s participation in the Carbon Zero Climate Quiz, in which Homer and her
team-mates emerged victorious.

Asked why it was important for the school to take part in the quiz, Fouchong said, “This is a way for them to have an idea of what is happening globally in terms of climate change and the Paris Climate Agreement. It is critical for students to understand that TT has committed on an international scale to lowering carbon emissions.”

Fouchong commended the students’ work ethic, which she says is consistent throughout the school. Whether being represented in the 2019 Youth Parliament by Upper Six student Chelsea Bailey or visiting communities to paint murals, it’s clear that the school is “building a culture of excellence.”