Ardenne High students working to reduce pressures of crime
DISHEARTENED By the intensified spate of crime and violence that is sweeping the nation, some students at Ardenne High School in St Andrew are making an earnest effort to alleviate the pressures that come with living in volatile areas or being victims of crime and/or violence.
Speaking at a forum with teachers, parents and students recently, members of the school’s community voiced their concerns and offered actionable solutions for a better environment for ‘Ardennites’ as well as the nation’s citizens on a whole.
“With the negative impact of crime, violence and corruption, we as a school body are very preoccupied with, and perturbed by, the deleterious effects this is having on all facets of our school community,” the ParentTeacher Association of the 91year-old Christian school said in a statement, as part of its public condemnation of crime and violence and its overarching negative effects on students.
“Crime is affecting some of the students here,” said Lori-Ann Grossett, Ardenne’s head girl. “You can see it in their attitude and the way they relate to others.”
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES
She noted that drastic behavioural changes are common among students affected by crime and violence.
As such, the student body pointed to the Building Ardennites with New Knowledge (BANK) programme, a club that seeks to show students ways in which they can rise above the trials and misfortunes they may experience so as to succeed in life, despite the odds. Also, Ardenne’s Prefect’s Association instituted a ‘Big Brother, Big Sister’ programme six years ago, where upper school as well as past students take the opportunity to mentor younger students, helping them develop into more wholesome adults. But other facilities at the school work to effect change as well.
“The Guidance and Counselling Department works very closely with each other to inspire behavioural change through consequences and social and emotional wellness,” noted Nadine Molloy, principal at Ardenne. “They have made some significant differences with this approach.”