Tweet
Discipline pays dividends for STETHS
Published: Tuesday | December 14, 2010
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
AFTER 49 years, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) has done enough to be considered one of the top educational institutions in the island.
With a list of graduates that reads like a who's who of Jamaica, STETHS has made its mark on the sporting field, in the cultural arena, and in the academic community.
But like most institutions, it has had its lean years, and less than a decade ago there were questions, particularly from the alumni and residents of the parish, about what was happening to the great school in Santa Cruz.
However, in recent years, there has been a marked improvement in the output of the school, and the "pep has returned to the step" of the students of STETHS, who can once again walk with pride and compete with the best of schools in the island.
Many factors have been highlighted as leading to the improvement, and the man now leading the mission, principal Keith Wellington, is confident that as more members of the school community buy into the vision, STETHS will be on its way back to the top where it belongs.
"I have been principal since 2008, but I came up through the system and I have been a teacher here since 1997," Wellington told The Gleaner as the glare from dozens of trophies brightened his office.
Room for improvement
He said the school's academic performance has been on an upswing in recent years, but is still not where he wants it to be.
"We have been improving over the years, and I think we are doing fairly well, but I still think there is room for improvement," Wellington said.
Pointing to the data, Wellington noted that in the past, STETHS was reporting 60 passes in mathematics from a cohort of 280-300 students.
Last year, the school had more than 150 students achieving passing grades in mathematics from a similar cohort and size.
In English, STETHS has seen the number of students achieving passing grades move from 90 five years ago to 232 last year - again out of a cohort of about 300.
But Wellington is not taking all the praise.
"Maybe we have gone a little quicker than before, but it is a trend that has been continuing over the past five or six years."
With its success on the playing fields, Wellington has managed to keep the balance with the improve-ment on the academic side not being at the expense of the school's sporting power.
"We have always felt that students have varying abilities in different areas, and if we are to succeed, what we have to do is make sure that each child has the opportunity to do well where he or she has the strength.
"What I have asked the teachers to do is not to go to a class and teach a class, but to teach individuals in the class, so you pay attention to what each child can do," added Wellington.
Major factors
He said one of the major factors that has resulted in the improved results in academics and sports has been the improvement in the discipline of its students.
"Just one simple area: students being in class at class time. I think there was a time when it was almost a free-for-all here. If the students felt like going to class, they go to class; if they didn't go to class, fine. People couldn't care less."
He stated that now everyone has to be in class and nobody is allowed out.
In fact, students wanting to leave the compound during class time must have a signed consent form, and those late for class in the mornings face a penalty.
"If you can capture the students' attention in class, half the battle is won. If they are outside or on the streets, there is nothing you can do for them," argued Wellington.
He said senior teachers are assigned specific areas of the huge campus to supervise, to ensure the students do not find areas to hide from classes.
For Wellington, the future of STETHS is bright, but there is one area of concern: the failure of parents to play a more meaningful role in the school life of their children.
According to Wellington: "I just had a meeting last week and I told the parents they need to do a lot more and be proactive. We need to do more to get the parents intertwined in the day-to-day activities of the school."
All-round school
The improvements at STETHS are being reflected in the swagger of the students who boast that despite the claims of the 150-year-old Munro College and other institutions, they attend the best school in St Elizabeth.
"We are an all-round school. We do well in academics, sports, vocational areas, everything," Martina Braham, a first-year sixth-form STETHS student, told The Gleaner.
As a past student of Munro, Wellington is wary about getting into a debate about good, better, or best, but he has clear ideas about the graduates STETHS should be turning out.
"We want to ensure that every single child who leaves here has the opportunity to excel where they have their strengths.
"We recognise that some persons believe that you are a success if you leave school and can become a lawyer or a doctor; we don't share that opinion.
"We believe a successful student is a person who, when they leave school, is able to make a meaningful contribution to society."
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
Published: Tuesday | December 14, 2010
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
AFTER 49 years, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) has done enough to be considered one of the top educational institutions in the island.
With a list of graduates that reads like a who's who of Jamaica, STETHS has made its mark on the sporting field, in the cultural arena, and in the academic community.
But like most institutions, it has had its lean years, and less than a decade ago there were questions, particularly from the alumni and residents of the parish, about what was happening to the great school in Santa Cruz.
However, in recent years, there has been a marked improvement in the output of the school, and the "pep has returned to the step" of the students of STETHS, who can once again walk with pride and compete with the best of schools in the island.
Many factors have been highlighted as leading to the improvement, and the man now leading the mission, principal Keith Wellington, is confident that as more members of the school community buy into the vision, STETHS will be on its way back to the top where it belongs.
"I have been principal since 2008, but I came up through the system and I have been a teacher here since 1997," Wellington told The Gleaner as the glare from dozens of trophies brightened his office.
Room for improvement
He said the school's academic performance has been on an upswing in recent years, but is still not where he wants it to be.
"We have been improving over the years, and I think we are doing fairly well, but I still think there is room for improvement," Wellington said.
Pointing to the data, Wellington noted that in the past, STETHS was reporting 60 passes in mathematics from a cohort of 280-300 students.
Last year, the school had more than 150 students achieving passing grades in mathematics from a similar cohort and size.
In English, STETHS has seen the number of students achieving passing grades move from 90 five years ago to 232 last year - again out of a cohort of about 300.
But Wellington is not taking all the praise.
"Maybe we have gone a little quicker than before, but it is a trend that has been continuing over the past five or six years."
With its success on the playing fields, Wellington has managed to keep the balance with the improve-ment on the academic side not being at the expense of the school's sporting power.
"We have always felt that students have varying abilities in different areas, and if we are to succeed, what we have to do is make sure that each child has the opportunity to do well where he or she has the strength.
"What I have asked the teachers to do is not to go to a class and teach a class, but to teach individuals in the class, so you pay attention to what each child can do," added Wellington.
Major factors
He said one of the major factors that has resulted in the improved results in academics and sports has been the improvement in the discipline of its students.
"Just one simple area: students being in class at class time. I think there was a time when it was almost a free-for-all here. If the students felt like going to class, they go to class; if they didn't go to class, fine. People couldn't care less."
He stated that now everyone has to be in class and nobody is allowed out.
In fact, students wanting to leave the compound during class time must have a signed consent form, and those late for class in the mornings face a penalty.
"If you can capture the students' attention in class, half the battle is won. If they are outside or on the streets, there is nothing you can do for them," argued Wellington.
He said senior teachers are assigned specific areas of the huge campus to supervise, to ensure the students do not find areas to hide from classes.
For Wellington, the future of STETHS is bright, but there is one area of concern: the failure of parents to play a more meaningful role in the school life of their children.
According to Wellington: "I just had a meeting last week and I told the parents they need to do a lot more and be proactive. We need to do more to get the parents intertwined in the day-to-day activities of the school."
All-round school
The improvements at STETHS are being reflected in the swagger of the students who boast that despite the claims of the 150-year-old Munro College and other institutions, they attend the best school in St Elizabeth.
"We are an all-round school. We do well in academics, sports, vocational areas, everything," Martina Braham, a first-year sixth-form STETHS student, told The Gleaner.
As a past student of Munro, Wellington is wary about getting into a debate about good, better, or best, but he has clear ideas about the graduates STETHS should be turning out.
"We want to ensure that every single child who leaves here has the opportunity to excel where they have their strengths.
"We recognise that some persons believe that you are a success if you leave school and can become a lawyer or a doctor; we don't share that opinion.
"We believe a successful student is a person who, when they leave school, is able to make a meaningful contribution to society."
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
Comment