St. Rose’s High School: Headmistress calls for the return of moral values
Mrs. Paula Hamilton
By Tangerine Clarke – October 24, 2017 – Caribbean Life News
Despite students of the 170-year-old St. Rose’s High School in Georgetown, Guyana continue to excel in their academic pursuits, headmistress of three years, Mrs. Paula Hamilton, said moral values are seriously lacking in the school, and are calling on parents to play a greater role, so that students remain disciplined in the schoolhouse.
“If parents become more involved, and we get adults on-board with us, then children would get back to the days of high standards of behavior, and moral values, that would guide them to a richer way of learning,” said Hamilton.
The headmistress made these comments exclusively to Caribbean Life at her New York Alma Mater’s recent Annual Awards Gala, and to celebrate the school’s 170th anniversary at Russo’s On The Bay in Queens, where Minister of Public Communication, Cathy Hughes, who serves on the board of directors of St. Rose’s was honored.
Hamilton applauded Minister Hughes, an alumnus, as well as overseas alumni associations in New York and Toronto, for the outstanding support to improve the academic lives of students, but noted, students, must maintain not only high level of academics, but high standards, and attitudes to retain the esteem, required of them.
In her push for help in this regard, Hamilton, suggests that Minister Hughes use her influence to encourage professionals to make presentations on the topic of moral values and discipline in the schoolhouse.
“We continue to provide good programming through our teachers, however, the invention of social media has grabbed hold of students, who, are not using television, Facebook and other media, to their advantage, but more to their disadvantage,” said Hamilton.
She called St. Rose’s, started by six nuns and two postulants from the Ursuline Convent in Athlone, Ireland in 1847, a noble institution, with the motto — “Serviam – I will serve.”
As such, students must live up to the school’s history, be caring, respectful of persons around them, and have the ability to help in every way possible, to create an environment of caring people.
The educator, who brings a wealth of experience to her post after serving 21 years as a teacher, said it is time for children to get back to the days of values.
“I find that good upbringing has become a thing of the past. It was from religious organizations that children developed firm disciplined. This is what we have to get back to.”
“I think after a student quality to attend such a prestigious school, that student must work to uphold that level of discipline, and must stay focused, because attending a school like St. Rose’s means you have natural ability.”
Hamilton — whose daughter Elisa Hamilton was the region’s top 2014 Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) student — said support from various organizations, as well as parents helping to get students involved in extra-curricular activities, where there is a short-fall in school, or helping them to becoming members of clubs outside of school, would keep them grounded.
“The support is there, teachers do care, and once teachers see that children are making progress, they (teachers) make sure those children are supported in their efforts, to learn, even though many may face challenges,” said Hamilton, adding that the common goal among the education staff is to make sure students are of real value to themselves, society, and the world at large.
“We can do it because we get full support from the board of directors and overseas alumni associations,” she noted.
Comments
Corruption among government officials, drawn from the population, infests the nation’s institutions, its business places, and the lives of its citizens. The “high standards of behavior and moral values” that Headmistress Paula Hamilton calls for Guyana’s children must come from parents and other adults within the society.
‘must come from parents and other adults within the society’
What about the influence of low western moral values? How do they stop it from contaminating small susceptible countries like Guyana. By 17 I had read all about the immoral sexual values of America. Its worst now for the young people in Guyana.
Guyana’s moral values were always corrupt and tawdry. It’s only seems worse because of the advent of a free press along with the proliferation of media outlets and social media.
When I was in elementary school, Queenstown RC, everyone knew of the affair between a married female teacher and a single male teacher but it was treated as a norm. In high school, during my 1st form year, CHS Thomaslands branch, we, a group of students, saw a black male teacher having sex with a 2nd form student in one of the classrooms. It was during recess and when she saw us she bit him on the chest to stop but he didn’t care, he was hellbent on getting his rocks off like the vile animal he was. We also caught him and another student over at the auditorium/convention hall, a separate and independent building from the school, where we held school plays. Things were worst over at the Smythe and Durban Street branches where the higher forms were – 3rd through 5th. Those places were putrid! Lucky for me, I only had eyes for my cute Portuguese high school sweetheart and no one else. Thank goodness it didn’t last though. Now that he has aged, he is the splitting image of my dad who bore a strong resemblance to the actor Michael Caine (I guess it’s the reason I find myself always watching to Michael Caine movies when they pop up). That would have been creepy, especially since it’s the first thing my siblings always say about him now.