by Curlan Campbell, NOW Grenada
- 6 scholarships awarded with 8 grants distributed to 14 students
- Initiative has existed since 1988
- President of the credit union’s Board of Directors, Jusceno Jacob, very first recipient of this award
14 students whose parents are members of The Communal Co-operative Credit Union Ltd were awarded for successfully completing their CPEA exams and transitioning into secondary level.
6 scholarships awarded with 8 grants were distributed as part of the credit union’s Rodney Mauricette Memorial Scholarship Award ceremony held on Monday, 2 September 2019 at the Public Workers Union conference room.
This initiative has existed since 1988 and has sought to provide assistance to students to support them during the new academic school year.
Under this year’s theme “Time to take your place at the top,” the credit union offered words of encouragement and motivation to these students and their parents but also caution them of the challenges that lay ahead.
President of the credit union’s Board of Directors, Jusceno Jacob, was the very first recipient of this award. He encouraged students to take full advantage of this award. “I want you to encourage you to take full advantage of all opportunities that come your way. In fact, you put yourself in the way of these opportunities and don’t be afraid to try things out of fear of failure, because failure is not the opposite of success, failure is part of success.”
Shawnna Thomas-Cuffie spoke on behalf of Minister for Education, Hon. Emmalin Pierre. She reminded students that they have managed to overcome one major challenge of successfully completing their CPEA exams which is commendable, but she also warned that they must now prepare to face a new challenge of adapting to life at the secondary level.
“You are transiting from 6th grade to form 1 and the challenges will be great. You are moving from seeing one teacher all day to several teachers in one day. 35 minutes for a period and it is a lot of taking in. Sometimes you stop the teacher at the door to say ‘miss I don’t understand”, and they have to say that I have another class to get to. The challenges are great but I want to urge you that there is no challenge that you cannot meet.”
Counselling Supervisor within the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Robert Phillip, provided words of wisdom. He spoke of the benefits of having a proper foundation that will assist in advancing through secondary life. “It is important that you receive a good foundation in form 1 in order to continue doing well ta the upper levels. You have done well in your CPEA exams, but you still have deficiencies that you need to work on. Ensure that you master the basic of mathematics and english, as these will form the basis for how well you perform in the other subjects.”
Phillip also stressed the need for students to balance their academics with extra-curricular activities which are necessary to create a well-rounded individual. “Do not simply be a book worm but attempt to marry your academics with co-curricular activities. This will make you a well-rounded student. You can choose from a myriad of sporting activities, cadets, scouts, debating, drama, creative writing, among others. Try to be involved in at least two of these. Statistics show that students who are involved in extracurricular activities utilise their time more efficiently and perform well in academic endeavours.”
The benefits of consuming a proper diet and the role it plays in their education were also addressed. “Ensure that you take care of your health. Eat a well-balanced diet, and get adequate sleep. Stay away from soft drinks and junk foods. They will only make you tired and slow. Always consume adequate amounts of water. when it is time for exams, make sure you begin your revision well in advance of the actual test. Never wait until last minute to complete all revision. Remember, cramming is never the proper way to go, it will only give you an elephant of a headache, and you will not be able to recall much after the exams have ended,” said Phillip.
Rodney Mauricette served as the Communal Co-operative Credit Union’s past president from 1965 to 1993. On his retirement, the scholarship award was named in his honour for his service to the credit union movement.
