Inheriting the Leadership of a One Hundred Year Old institution with its rich history, pride, high levels of academic achievement and discipline is a most envied position that, an administrator, can ill afford to take lightly, and I certainly do not.

 

The past two years and seven months have tested the mettle of all levels of the organisational structure, as well as, the tenacity of the staff, students and their families. However, we have all weathered the storm well. We are definitely not unscathed; however, our students have proven time and time again that they are resilient 'Builders’. We acknowledge our areas that are in need of growth; however, we are proud of our achievements in academics, sport and extracurricular activities. COVID 19 has thwarted our involvement in various activities, but we are emerging from the pandemic in a vibrant way. Our CSEC and CAPE results have once again brought us much pride and we will celebrate our students with the usual splendour on November 18, 2022, when we host our annual Prize Giving Ceremony.

 

We are proud of the fact that we were able to Kick start our Cosmetology Programme in September 2022; this was stymied by COVID, as it should have begun in September 2020. We were finally able to complete the Industrial and Visual Arts Suite of courses, as we commenced offering Electrical Technology in October 2022.

 

Staff Empowerment and Psychosocial  are key to academic improvement; to this end we are grateful to have  been able to conduct our first Face to Face Senior Management Retreat in August 2022, followed by our Face to Face staff Empowerment to start the new school year. We also resumed our monthly staff social at the beginning of October.

 

Our stakeholders continue to lend invaluable support to the institution.  This was in full effect with our Parent Teachers Association assisting with the renovation of two classrooms for the New School Year. Their most recent contribution was the repair of the roof of the computer lab and the music room which leaked badly after the passage of Ian, and they are excited about bringing Barbecue Back for December 2022.

 

The Alumni stand by the institution in all our endeavours, most outstanding for this period are their involvement with the DaCosta Cup Football, where the management has led the team out of the 1st round. They also galvanised to host the Alumni Careers’ Day, which happened Face to Face for the first time since 2019, and was a huge success. The Alumni also supports a Welfare Programme at the institution which provides well needed support for students in need. We recently received a donation of school supplies and hygiene products which have been distributed to our students.

 

Students are the heartbeat of any school. This Newsletter is a testimony to what well-meaning and positive youth leaders can achieve.  I therefore congratulate Nineisha Lloyd and her team for realising this goal which will be a legacy that future ‘Builders’ will embrace and improve upon.

 

The term has been marred by an unfortunate accident involving our dear student who is one of the brains behind this paper, (Nineisha Lloyd) which has caused her great difficulty.  The board of governors, administration, staff and students pray for her speedy recovery and look forward to her successful return to school.

 

Our theme for this school year is 'Promoting a Culture of Excellence through Accountability, Respect, Integrity, and Self-Discipline. It is our prayer that our deC family continues to grow in the beauty of God's Grace, as we seek to live our motto, Aedificamus. God helping us.