St. Leonard’s Boy’s Students Encouraged To Know Their Life’s Worth

Students at St. Leonard’s Boys’ School were encouraged by the President of Barbados, His Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel, The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, to recognise that their “life has worth”, and “significance”.

During his visit to the school on Thursday, President Bostic, who credited civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with the words of encouragement, drew examples from Barbadians whose lives of determination and commitment allowed them to rise to the pinnacle of their careers.

He remarked: “If it falls your lot to be street sweeper, sweep streets like Omowale Stewart paints pictures.  Sweep streets like The Might Gabby composes music, sweep streets like Lionel Mitch Springer sang his songs, sweep streets like…Edward Kamau Brathwaite wrote poetry”.

The students were further encouraged to follow the examples set by Justice William Chandler, “who rose from the community of Richmond to become a High Court Judge and now an Appeals Court Judge”; Dr. Kevin Greenidge “who rose from the Nightingale Home to become an economist with the International Monetary Fund and now the Governor of Central Bank of Barbados”, and Captain Tevin Maynard (his aide-de-Camp) “who rose from the Pinelands community and the Parkinson Memorial School to be a Captain in the Defence Force”.

His Excellency commended the school for excelling in technical and vocational disciplines, as well as music, sports and cadets. He recognised the advances the school’s Cadet Corps had made since its formative years and noted that some cadets have progressed to become outstanding soldiers in the Barbados Defence Force.

The President disclosed that additional opportunities would be made available to assist students in reaching their zenith through mentorship, leadership development and training, with one such opportunity being the Chapman Challenge.

He also revealed plans to establish The President’s Trust Fund to assist students with uniforms for schools, clubs and associations (e.g. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides), school fees, as well as textbooks and other expenses for those embarking on additional studies.

His Excellency noted that challenges existed in communities and efforts were underway to address them and urged the students to remain focused on reaching their “true potential” and make good use of the opportunities before them.

In his address, Principal of the school, Peter Cox, urged the students to learn from the example set by President Bostic. He noted that the Chapman Challenge sought “to develop our youth to their fullest potential”, to facilitate guidance and the fulfillment of goals and aspirations, and appealed to the students to embrace the Challenge. 

In addition to a parade by members of the Cadet Corps, the students showcased their talents with performances by saxophonist Romario Herbert-White; the school’s Steel Ensemble De Boyz, and a combined ensemble featuring the school choir, the steel orchestra, the pop band and the concert band with vocals by Joshua Osbourne. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Students at St. Leonard’s Boy’s School listen attentively to President of Barbados, His Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel, The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic as he addressed them.