Hopewell High School wants ‘Expo 2025’ to reverse negative perception

Western Bureau:

Having been burdened with negative perceptions coming out of numerous troubling incidents in recent times, Dalton Hastings, the chairman of the board at Hopewell High School, in Hanover, is hoping that last Thursday’s exposition at the school will help to remove the shadow.

“The reason for renewing this event is that as a school we have seen a lot of negative public relations, and we want to showcase that behind the walls of the Hopewell High School there is greatness,” said Hastings. “Greatness in terms of the staff that we have, the students that we have … We want to show the country the creativeness of the students that attend this institution.”

The event, dubbed ‘Hopewell High School Expo 2025’, was well-received by the parents and students from several other schools, who got a taste of the creativity and skills of the students and teachers, whose eye-catching projects, which covered the 10 skill areas taught at the school, were displayed in booths mounted on the school compound.

According to Hastings, the day’s activity was all about showcasing the hard work of the teachers and students, which he hopes will serve as a source of motivation to propel Hopewell High School into becoming one of the institutions of choice in western Jamaica.

In pledging the commitment of the school’s board of management in supporting the school’s policies and programmes, Hastings said their vision is to move the school towards excellence in a wholesome way.

“Excellence is not just in academic performance, but as a total student,” said Hastings, in noting that, while the students that are sent to the school by the ministry might not be at the highest level academically, the aim of the administration is to make sure that once they pass through the institution, they will leave prepared to face whatever the world has to offer them.

The co-educational school, which operates on a single shift, has a student population of approximately 980 students.

“One of the unique things about this school is the number of vocational subjects that are taught here, which is the strong point of some of our students. In western Jamaica, we have the most vocational subjects, as a matter of fact, we have about 10 on our curriculum,” said Hastings, who added that thoughts are being given to adding ever more vocational subjects, to provide more hands-on experiences to the students.

Everette Riley, a senior education officer at the Ministry of Education Region 4, who was present for the ‘expo’, described the event as a celebration of the skills, character and the culture of the Hopewell High School family.

“We (the Ministry of Education) understand that Hopewell High School has decided to have the students express themselves through their culture, academic pursuits, and the skills that they have acquired as they are educated by a competent staff of the school, and we are pleased and joyful for that,” said Riley.

Besides showcasing the talents of the students, Hastings said the event was also being used as part of the school’s intervention strategy, to show the students that they have talents, creativeness and values within them.

“We want to get them to understand that violence does not pay,” said Hastings, in highlighting that aspect of the strategies to eradicate the view that Hopewell High School is not a quality institution.

editorial@gleanerjm.com