Dear Editor,
There is an important lesson that we can learn from the 2014 Schools' Challenge Quiz Finals. Over the 45-year history Campion College entered from time to time and ended up giving mediocre performances, although they have had a tremendous pool of talent from which to draw.
I was told, years ago, by a very reliable source that they decided not to enter regularly because they could not find anyone who had been willing to take on the responsibility of coaching the team with the dedication it required. This is not a flattering commentary on the staff at Campion at that time. Campion has now apparently remedied the problem.
I was told, years ago, by a very reliable source that they decided not to enter regularly because they could not find anyone who had been willing to take on the responsibility of coaching the team with the dedication it required. This is not a flattering commentary on the staff at Campion at that time. Campion has now apparently remedied the problem.
If they continue to develop the programme they should be among the top-seeded schools for a long time and will likely win the competition a few times. They were beaten in the finals by Kingston College, a school which has a tremendous support system from alumni who give not only cash and kind, but time. Over the years, people like Ian Wilkinson, past president of the Jamaica Bar Association, and Stephen Vassianne, now Jamaica's ambassador to the US, have found time to be coaches. This has enabled them to prepare excellent teams without having to recruit from elsewhere. As Douglas Orane said in a letter to the press a few weeks ago, the alumni of schools can make a big difference. He is now involved in mentoring a form at his alma mater, and mine, Wolmer's. The presence of such high achievers in our schools to act as role models and share their experience with students is very important, as we teachers are not always the best role models for many of them. KC has built an enviable reputation as being highly competitive in everything they do. Although, while I served as coach of Manchester High we managed to get the better of them on two of the four occasions in which we met during the competition, they were always the team to beat. As a KC team member once said to a female member of one of my teams, 'KC boys always rise to the occasion'.
What we can learn is the importance of giving our students the kind of support systems they need, whether it is in academic matters or sports. We also need to provide such support for the ordinary students and not just the stars.
R Howard Thompson
Mandeville
howardthompson507@yahoo.com.
See what schools can do with support
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There is an important lesson that we can learn from the 2014 Schools' Challenge Quiz Finals. Over the 45-year history Campion College entered from time to time and ended up giving mediocre performances, although they have had a tremendous pool of talent from which to draw.
I was told, years ago, by a very reliable source that they decided not to enter regularly because they could not find anyone who had been willing to take on the responsibility of coaching the team with the dedication it required. This is not a flattering commentary on the staff at Campion at that time. Campion has now apparently remedied the problem.
I was told, years ago, by a very reliable source that they decided not to enter regularly because they could not find anyone who had been willing to take on the responsibility of coaching the team with the dedication it required. This is not a flattering commentary on the staff at Campion at that time. Campion has now apparently remedied the problem.
If they continue to develop the programme they should be among the top-seeded schools for a long time and will likely win the competition a few times. They were beaten in the finals by Kingston College, a school which has a tremendous support system from alumni who give not only cash and kind, but time. Over the years, people like Ian Wilkinson, past president of the Jamaica Bar Association, and Stephen Vassianne, now Jamaica's ambassador to the US, have found time to be coaches. This has enabled them to prepare excellent teams without having to recruit from elsewhere. As Douglas Orane said in a letter to the press a few weeks ago, the alumni of schools can make a big difference. He is now involved in mentoring a form at his alma mater, and mine, Wolmer's. The presence of such high achievers in our schools to act as role models and share their experience with students is very important, as we teachers are not always the best role models for many of them. KC has built an enviable reputation as being highly competitive in everything they do. Although, while I served as coach of Manchester High we managed to get the better of them on two of the four occasions in which we met during the competition, they were always the team to beat. As a KC team member once said to a female member of one of my teams, 'KC boys always rise to the occasion'.
What we can learn is the importance of giving our students the kind of support systems they need, whether it is in academic matters or sports. We also need to provide such support for the ordinary students and not just the stars.
R Howard Thompson
Mandeville
howardthompson507@yahoo.com.
See what schools can do with support
-->