"You are not a beh-beh Third World cunumunu," is a saying that each student of the North Gate College in St Augustine can recite at the drop of a hat.
According to senior teacher at the college Yolande La Pierre, one of the things the teachers of the institute try to instil in their students was a sense of self worth.
The college will celebrate its tenth anniversary later this year and La Pierre said while the institute placed great emphasis on academics, it was not just an academic mill that churned out passes in subjects. She said although this was the claim of many academic institutions, there were two things that made North Gate College distinct from the rest–the global perspective it afforded its students and the fact that it was not a "prestige" school, despite the calibre of students on its enrolment register.
"We have visitors to our school from all around the world. This gives our students the sense that the world is much smaller than they think... We insist that we are not a prestige school. Our policy is that we must be able to bridge the gap between different classes in society. God is a God of everybody," she said. "But we don't lower our standards," she quickly added. She said the school provided a safe environment for its students, encouraged freedom of expression, and taught the importance of understanding boundaries.
Academics Plus...
In addition to its excellent academic programmes, La Pierre said, students were exposed to sporting activities, life skills programmes, career days and leadership development programmes. She said the college also focused on issues such as male empowerment initiatives and workshops for parents on skills for dealing with teenagers. "Academically, we have always been sound and above average. We understand that all students don't have the same academic abilities, but we insist that every student must leave with more than they had when they came in."
She admitted with a chuckle though, that the school's football team members were not soca warriors in the making. "I have to say they have heart and spirit. But the important thing is that they enjoy themselves." La Pierre said the anniversary celebration had a twofold purpose: "We will be celebrating the journey and thanking those who have worked with us, and we will be introducing ourselves to those who don't know us."
