Vauxhall High Open Day Showcases Students Skills’ and Creativity

Vauxhall High School showcased the achievements of students across its various departments at an open day held at the institution’s Windward Road location in Kingston.

Under the theme ‘Breaking Barriers. Making Strides’, the open day featured displays demonstrating the work being undertaken in academic and non-academic areas.

Parents, guardians and the wider community were invited to visit the school and explore its facilities and educational offerings.

Students from the Department of Consumer and Resource Sciences mounted a colourful display of decorative pillows, purses, hats, and other items, showing off their skills and creativity in sewing and handiwork.

They also arranged a visually appealing and functional setting for a formal dinner, with glassware and silverware.

Baked goods and other food items were also on show, and cosmetology students were busy providing manicure services at various stations.

Denisha Jarrett, the student who arranged the formal table setting, told JIS News that she “executed this task with confidence, knowing that I was taught this skill by my teacher”.

She said that the open day was important in showcasing the talents and creativity of the students.

“It also gave students knowledge about the different subject areas, especially the grade-nine students who will be doing subject selection,” she pointed out.

The open day also included experiments by the Science Department, vocabulary and storywriting games by the Language Department, as well as puzzles and other problem-solving games by the Mathematics Department.

The Business Education Department mounted exhibits of students’ work and engaged visitors through games and a research centre.

A collection of items from the past such as a coal iron, coconut brush, enamel pan, eating utensils, meat grinder and wash pan board, were displayed by the Humanities Department.

Also on show was the work of students in Auto Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Building and Construction, and Technical Drawing.

Parents and visitors were wowed by the artistic talent of students through sculptures, drawings and paintings, and students and adults were engaged in a sip-and-paint activity.

The Science Department engaged students in fun experiments, including creating a mosquito neem repellant.

“They really enjoyed extracting the coconut oil and the neem oil, but surprisingly, they enjoyed using the mortar and pestle most, which is very commonly used in science and has a big part in our culture,” Science Teacher, Derrick Spence told JIS News.

“One of the most inspiring moments was when a group of students said they would use the neem plant, which is grown in their community, to make skincare products and sell. So, already the students are thinking about locally sourced, natural, health products which they can now produce and market in the future,” he noted.

Principal at the institution, Prudence Brown Pinnock, in highlighting the achievement of students, told JIS News that for the past several years, the school has attained an 80 per cent pass rate in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English Language examination, and more than 90 per cent in English Language and Mathematics in City and Guilds.

“[We also have] a full technical offering – Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, General Construction and Building, and in the Food and Nutrition area we offer Food, Cosmetology, Clothing and Textiles, Family and Consumer Sciences,” she said adding that “in all of those areas our pass rate is consistently high.”

Reflecting on the school’s growth since its inception in 1959, Mrs. Brown Pinnock said, “we want to continue to break barriers and we want to continue to make strides in this our 66th year”.

One of the important features of the open day was a health fair to benefit residents from surrounding communities.

Held in partnership with external entities like the Ministry of Health and Wellness, National Health Fund (NHF), Foundation for International Self Help (FISH), and the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), the event provided medical and other services free of cost.

Vice-Principal, Elizabeth Thompson Samuels, said the objective of the health fair was to give back to the community in a meaningful way, in recognition of the contribution of residents to the school’s growth and development.

“We have eye screenings going on, blood pressure checks and blood sugar checks,” she told JIS News.

“We just want everybody to have a good day. We want a good community spirit, and we want to welcome everybody to our school,” she added.

Past student and member of the board for more than 10 years, Rosalee Marshall, told JIS News that “I have been blessed to be here [and] to be a part of the development of the school”.

She first joined the board as a community representative and now sits on the building committee.

“So, in terms of the infrastructure work that has been done here, I have been a part of that,” Ms. Marshall shared.

She highlighted the importance of parents and the wider community in the success of the school.

“Parents have to understand that it’s not just about sending the students [to school]; it’s also about participating in what goes on here – to be a part of the Parent-Teacher Association, [and] to be a part of community activities,” Ms. Marshall said.

David Reid, another past student of the institution and a past board member, is currently serving as the sports manager, volunteering in the areas of football, netball, basketball and volleyball.

“[My team and I] established a sports award and the students have really come to appreciate when we give them something to say thanks for representing [their school],” he shares.

Noting that Vauxhall High has produced some outstanding graduates, including 2014 Rhodes Scholar, Timer Jackson, Mr. Reid said his wish is for the institution that he calls his life, to continue to make an impact.

“I want to see this school rise above as a non-traditional [high] school and really be an impact within the community and give back to the nation,” he told JIS News.