SJC Awards Evening
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Principal Ms. Felicia McFarlane commissiong the graduates |
Awards Evening 2004 at St. Joseph’s Convent was a culmination of the 150th year of Celebrations. It was a fitting end to a year of tribute to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny. The SJC Auditorium came alive - as it usually does this time of year - to reward the achievements of the Graduating Class of 2004.
The evening’s proceedings began with the entry of the Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy. The Graduating Class led the assembly in prayer and this was followed by the distribution of Certificates of Merit and Attendance.
The Principal’s Report was delivered by Sister Rufina Donat, Vice Principal of St. Joseph’s Convent, on behalf of the Principal Ms. Felicia Mc Farlane. In her report, the Principal gave an account of the School’s performance in the CXC examination for 2004. SJC maintained its exceptional pass rate which was 96% for this year. There was a 100% pass in Food & Nutrition, Geography, Principles of Business and Social Studies. The school continues to aspire to a 100% pass in every subject area.
Ms. Mc Farlane attributed the success of SJC to its emphasis on the development of the whole individual. To this end, the spiritual and moral development of students is given equal weighting as other academic subjects. SJC’s tenet of fostering growth of the whole student has also led to a wide range of extra curricula activities being offered at the school. Students are exposed to a range of activities which allow them to realize and develop their talents and potential.
Ms. Mc Farlane also revealed Sporting activities as being high on the priority list of SJC. The new Sports Program at the school exposes students to swimming, netball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and track and field, and there is an initiative to establish Judo in the near future. SJC is certainly in the business of developing talent.
That notwithstanding, the Principal highlighted the tried and true traditions of the school which have served to ensure its continued academic success. Daily morning assembly, retreats, masses at the beginning and closing of the school year are all traditions unique to SJC, traditions which have given birth to many upright citizens of St. Lucian society and which cause the institution to flourish while it nurtures its wards. Ms. Mc Farlane sincerely thanked all those who helped to make the year of celebrations a memorable one.
The Guest Speaker for the evening, distinguished past pupil Dr. Alison Gadjadher Plummer, delivered a powerful and timely address. If there were any regrets that evening, it was this - that Dr. Plummer was not immediately heard by the entire St. Lucian and Caribbean society. She encouraged the graduates to dream in order to transform their lives and their country. There is hardly any way to paraphrase Dr. Plummer’s address without leaving out some salient point which should be heard by a larger public. The best way is to let her tell part of it herself:
The danger really lies in those of you who Just could not be bothered to be confused or to have dreams. Yes, listen carefully, those of you who have not considered what your life would be like in the next five/ten years, are certainly treading along a risky, hazardous path for your future.
If you do not care about what happens to you, then who would? Are you expecting your mother, your father, or an influential relative or friend, or the Government to? The reality is, no body can be more concerned about your interests than you! You, and only you, would be the one to suffer the consequences of your own actions. You therefore have the responsibility to yourself. This brings me to the subject of Personal Accountability.
Personal Accountability means that each one of us is responsible first and foremost for our own well-being. This philosophy gives each one of us great power; that is, the power to choose our actions, reactions, our response to disappointments or tribulations, whether they be bad exam results or good exam results. Whatever the situation, we each have the power to choose our response no matter who or what we are, where we come from, our abilities, whether we are poor or rich, whether or we come from a background that is scared by hardship or one that is seemingly quite easy. It does not matter what background you come from, each one of you has the responsibility to yourself to choose where you go from here!
But you may ask the question - “How do I choose the path that will allow me to fulfill my life’s full potential?” “How do I know that I am making the right choice?” The answer is not easy, and neither is it simple. I do not know that any of us knows the right answer. But what I do know is that in order to make the right choice for your life, you require three key basic elements. These elements are: knowledge, skill and desire.
Here Dr. Plummer paused to enlighten and to highlight desire as the most powerful motivational force that any human being can possess. She stated:
But note, you can never have the discipline that it takes, if there is no desire to achieve your goals and ambitions. I want to pause for a moment to have all of you internalize this point. The lack of desire to achieve is the most frightening ills of our society today. It is the lack of this desire that creates the ‘boys on the block’, the hanging around aimlessly, doing nothing substantial whether at home or in your neighbourhood, not caring whether tomorrow was today or yesterday was tomorrow.
But how can we create this ‘desire’? What is this ‘desire’?
Desire is what I consider to be a motivational force. It creates a constant need to improve yourself, to do better than you did yesterday. Though, be careful of the type of motivation that you choose to drive this desire to achieve. It is said that there are two types of motivation: Developmental Motivation and Deficiency Motivation.
Deficiency Motivation is very dangerous. It occurs when we become motivated by our deficiencies. We set a huge trap for ourselves thinking things like ‘if! had money I would...’ ‘if! had educated parents I would...’ ‘if! had a car I would... ‘’if I got better CXC results I would. . . ‘. You end up living your life constantly on the basis of ‘more’, ‘more’ and ‘more’, and your needs never get satisfied.
On the other Developmental Motivation occurs when you are motivated by your dreams. When we dream, our mental capacities grow, our whole being grows, and we continue to change naturally - by choice, not ftom lack, or because someone wants us to or has told us to; not because of our parents or society, but rather because
you - I personally want to.
I therefore challenge each one of you to dream... do not be afraid or ashamed of dreaming. Do not be afraid of being laughed at by your peers or family members.
No one can take this capability from you. The ability to dream is a gift that God has blessed only the higher members of the animal kingdom with, so use it!
Indeed no person present should have left without being motivated to dream. St. Joseph’s Convent is proud to count Dr. Alison Plummer as one of its distinguished past pupils.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Outstanding Awards and the announcement of the recipient of the coveted Principal’s Award.
Principal’ s Award were presented to the audience. This was done using power point presentation. The three nominees for Principal’s Award were Natalie Remy, Skeeta Carasco and Safiya Paul. The students’ achievements and contributions to SJC school life were highlighted. The Principal’s Award is given to the student who best embodies the principles of SJC by full participation in school life. This year’s award was won by Safiya Paul. During Ms. Paul’s school life at SJC she participated in a host of activities and excelled in leadership and the sporting arena. Safiya Paul gave of her best, not only to her school, but also to her country. Safiya Paul is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Colin Paul. SJC congratulates Ms. Paul and wishes her the best in her future endeavors.
Other Outstanding Awards were distributed as follows:
Gem St. Omer 8 one’s and a two
Hecca Cox 9 0ne’s
Huanna French 9 one’s
Phylicia Joseph 9 one’s
Lisa Mohammed 9 one’s
Skeeta Carasco 9 one’s and a two
In commissioning the Graduates, Ms. Mc Farlane, instructed them to:
Go out into the world, not as Young and Restless persons but being the Bold and Beautiful ones whom you are,
as the world turns look to the Almighty for your
Guiding Light. As you leave, ponder on those words:
I maybe here for a short while, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But in whatever part you play, be remembered as part of a legacy of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It is that legacy that never dies. Go out and serve the Lord. I wish you well.
The evening’s proceedings could not have been possible without the kind assistance of Her Excellency Carmen Aponte, Ms. Terese Monplasir, Ms. S. Du Boulay, Mr. Ivan Smith, the Traffic Department of The Royal St. Lucia Police Force and The Trophy Center. The Principal and Staff of SJC wish to thank all those who helped to make the evening a success.
(Click here to see other photos)
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St. Lucy’s Home Annual Dinner
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Some of the supporters |
Greeted by the soothing tones of St. Joseph’s Convent junior and senior Steel Band, guests at the 2nd Annual Dinner for St. Lucy’s Home began a wonderful evening on Saturday 27th November at the Mount of Prayer at Coubaril.
Under the patronage of the Governor General Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy and with Archbishop Kelvin Felix in attendance, the dinner was a great success. Mother Mariana and the Benedictine Nuns prepared a sumptuous buffet including their renowned pumpkin soup, a variety of meats and fish, vegetables and salad and concluding with their signature dessert concoctions.
Monsignor Patrick Anthony was in fine form as Master of Ceremony exhorting diners to patronize the open bar and entertaining them as he sang along to Oldie Goldies music provided by Mr. Clem Bobb. The many lovely door prizes were donated by: Diamonds International ($US 150 gift voucher); Colombian Emeralds (a pearl necklace); American Eagle (2 round trip tickets to San Juan); a weekend for 2 compliments of Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa at La Toc; a weekend for two (2) compliments of Ladera and a gift of a hair treatment from Jocelyn’s Hair Salon.
The dinner falls closely on the heels of the Feast of St. Cecilia and so in keeping with the theme of music, the Helen Folk Dancers took to the floor in colourful national costume entertaining guests with the quadrille and other graceful local dances.
The organizing committee wishes to thank all the sponsors who gave generous door prizes again this year. To the many supporters who gave donations in money and kind, we are grateful for your assistance. St. Lucy’s Home is dependent on the generosity of the community. Parishes in the Castries area-Cathedral, Marchand, La Clery, St. Benedict’s and The Mount of Prayer-each contributed a sizable donation towards the purchase of food items which helped offset costs. A special thanks to those benefactors and friends of St. Lucy’s who donate to the Home throughout the year.
Many thanks to Mother Mariana and the Benedictine Nuns for their assistance in organizing and preparing for the annual dinner and to the many volunteers who worked to make the evening such a grand success.
May God Bless all of you. (Click here to see other photos)
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Celebration of the Golden Jubilee
Castries
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Procession |
On the afternoon of Thursday 25th November 2004, the doors of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception opened, to 45 jubilarians who had entered in procession singing songs of praise. They were repeating an activity in which they had engaged as eight to ten year olds, 50 years ago on the 25th November 1954.
The group, which included those who had come in from overseas for the occasion, started the procession with the hymn, I Will Enter His House with Thanksgiving in My Heart which was followed by the lusty singing of The Heavens are Telling The Glory of God. Indeed, it was a glorious day as it had followed days of heavy downpour.
The thanksgiving Mass was a real blessing as, according to the jubilarians, they had much to be thankful for. They had lived for 50 years after they had first received the Eucharist; the group had produced a priest in the person of Monsignor Patrick Anthony, the chief celebrant of the Mass as well as his assistant Deacon Girard Glace. Most significantly their golden jubilee was being observed in the year that was decreed by the Holy Father to be the year of the Eucharist.
Senses of love, satisfaction and jubilation pervaded the atmosphere as friends and family looked on in admiration. There was the traditional renewal of vows, blessing of scapulars and Act of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Mass ended with the traditional serving of penn beni to all those in attendance. It was followed by a dinner reception at Mount of Prayer, Coubaril where the jubilarians took time to reminisce on the day of their First Communion. They recounted stories that evoked memories of the days when adults participated in the dinners and the young communicants were ordered to bed.
Master of Ceremonies Horace Walters affirmed his faith in the Catholic doctrine and informed the gathering that through his travels abroad he was convinced that the Roman Catholic Church was strong and firm.
Clem Bobb, whose selections spurred two of the jubilarians to display their version of The Twist, provided music for the evening.
The session came to a close with expressions of love, thanks and praise to those responsible for coordinating the activity and with Thanksgiving to the Father.
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Soufriere Diamond Jubilee
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Procession |
On Sunday the 28th November 2004 saw the Grand Celebration of the (60th) Diamond Jubilee of the First Communion Group of 1944 at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption Soufriere. This Special High Mass, which started at 10:30am, was officiated by Monsignor Dr. Patrick Anthony.
His Homily was so well received that there was a spontaneous bust of applause by all who attended the Service. One member of the group (Miss Gabrielle Williams) said that this was perhaps the best celebration of their First Communion Anniversary. She said further that for many members of the group the Anniversary of this First Communion was always very dear to them as they recall they received their First Communion at a very difficult
time during the Second World War.
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