WROC stages remedial summer school for teens
WITH the help of the National Commercial Bank, the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC) last week launched a late summer remedial programme for some 17 students from communities surrounding Beechwood, Lyndhurst, Greenwich Park and nearby inner-city areas.
Entitled, ‘Learning is Fun’, the programme – which will run until August 22 – is introducing boys and girls – aged 12 to 16 – to Mathematics and English in a fun way.
The students have been engaged in doing sports, mathematical puzzles, word games, quizzes, writing songs and learning origami. At the end of the two-week exercise they are expected to have completed six sessions each of Computing, English, Mathematics and Values and Attitudes.
Huntley Anderson, co-ordinator of the programme explains that the basics of English and Mathematics have been included in every activity. “It’s an excellent approach because we are reinforcing the theme of ‘Learning is Fun’ in everything we do,” he said.
The teenagers have been writing poems about fractions and practising English and Mathematics through art and craft and sports too. “We integrate the subject matter. More than anything else they love the sports,” Anderson said.
“They teach us things we never knew yet,” Oshane Daley, a 14-year-old Norman Manley High School student said.
Added Tracey Ann-Greaves, a 15-year-old Wolmer’s High student: “I enjoy the art and our guidance session with Mrs St Catherine. We talk about values and attitudes – everything”.
According to WROC counsellor, Faith St Catherine, “We are also working on their social skills. They are working in groups. We have prizes, incentives, to build personality skills including congeniality.
“We engage them in participatory learning with goal setting, helping them to create a vision or themselves. We are aiming at holistic development.”
The students will also be taken on a trip featuring fun and learning activities at Dolphin Cove in St Ann – if they behave.
Michael Harper, a 13-year-old third form student at Camperdown High School said that he has learned to “co-operate with people better and how to control my anger”.
“In the world we have to co-operate more like on jobs and most times anger can lead us into trouble,” he said.
And said Saskia Gouldbourne, a 12-year-old student who will be a seventh grader at Excelsior High School in September, “They are letting us know more about the world and the way people live”.
