ESLYN HENLEY RECHIEZ STUDENTS PRAISED FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS

Monday June 21, 2010

Education officials, teachers, and parents praised the achievements of the students of the Eslyn Henley Rechiez Learning Centre during their recent 2010 Award Ceremony.

At the ceremony held on June 15, Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Andrew Fahie congratulated the students for their achievements and praised the work of the principal Mrs. Vansittart Huggins and staff of the school. “It is heart warming to see the efforts that the principal Mrs. Huggins and her staff have put into the school, he said, adding, “As minister I am cognizant of the challenges and admire the tenacity of the principal along with her staff.”

Minister Fahie continued to speak on the challenges faced in this area, “This is an area in which as a Territory we have a lot to do in order to get it right. I am cognizant of the fact that special needs are fairly new to us and I have challenged the Department of Education to give a holistic way forward.”

He expounded, “I know that we need to do more and we have a lot of demands with less finances but this is a high priority.” Honourable Fahie also took the opportunity to congratulate the teachers especially those who will be retiring. “We can never repay you for the contribution that you have made,” he told the retirees.

Territorial Representative Honourable Irene Penn O’Neal told the gathering that it was a very special day and that she was there to congratulate the students. “I am here to support and celebrate with you the students and I am especially pleased to be here for Hula Parsons who is exiting the school this year,” she said.

“I hope that businesses out there would see the need and lend their support to someone like Hula and
allow him to take his rightful place in the community,” Mrs. Penn O’Neal added.
Acting Chief Education Officer Dr. Marcia Potter also congratulated the students and gave special words of encouragement to Hula. “It is never easy to leave the safe havens of school or home but to Hula I want to say that you have been given certain skills here at the school that will prove to be invaluable as you move forward into the future,” she said.

Dr. Potter also said, “Specific education for children with special needs is relatively new in the range of education provision in the Virgin Islands especially when we begin to compare ourselves to other countries in the world.”
She assured the gathering that, “special needs education is very much on their agenda and that the Department of Education is working steadily to get things in place”.

Education Officer for Special Needs Ms. Lorna Dawson said that the school was faced with many challenges but they rose and met those challenges head on. “I commend you for your perseverance; while you are not where you would like to be, I encourage you to keep the same spirit of persistence as you go through the next school year,” she urged.

Ms. Dawson thanked the many businesses and supporters of the school for their invaluable contribution.

Students Tanya Bobb and Zva Vern Adams received a number of awards including the title of Miss and Mister Eslyn Henley Richiez Learning Centre for their excellent achievements. The other students who received special awards for their performance were Brandon Foxe, Shemoey Manning, Roschelle Whanton, Tasha Isles, Kaseem Burrows, Nery Castro, and Rayah Fonseca. Additionally, Merari Astacio, Francesca Remy, Roy Freeman, Devione Joseph, Khalil Liburd, Akeem David, Chelton Felix and Hula Parsons were also awarded for their work. Students received awards in gardening skills, arts and craft, gross and fine motor skills, self-reliance, physical education and listening skills amongst others. Students Tania Bob and Akeem David received the top award for sailability.

The Eslyn Henley Richiez Learning Centre, formerly known as the Fort Charlotte Children’s Centre, opened on October 12, 1972. In 1997, the school relocated to John’s Hole and was renamed in honour of its first principal Mrs. Eslyn Henley Richiez and aims to provide education and training suitable for children with profound special needs. The guiding principle behind the Learning Centre’s teaching methods is self help.