Dear Brothers, Lasallian Colleagues and Friends,

I wrote my last letter during the quiet of exam week back in

December. I write you now with less than a month remaining in

the second term and from our annual Sports Day scheduled for

early April. The cool evening breezes and dry days of the last few

months are gradually giving way to warm, humid days and late

afternoon rain showers.

We were blessed to have our Auxiliary Visitor, Brother Dennis

Lee, spend time with us in January. His visit to the school,

sessions with our students, and fraternal meeting with the

Brothers’ Community made real and strengthened our vow of

Association with our Brothers and Lasallian Partners on the

“mainland”. The two students in the picture of Brother Dennis

escorted him on a tour of our campus. Shortly after Brother Den-

nis’ visit, we had our first PTA meeting of the year; an occasion

for parents and guardians to meet with their child’s teachers and

to receive the report card for the first term which ended before

Christmas. PTA meetings, no matter the country or culture, have

the same feel and atmosphere. Overall, it was a very good

afternoon for parents and faculty.

In preparation for Sports Day, our houses (Red, Yellow, Green

and Purple) have participated in preliminary football and volley

ball games to winnow down the houses to the two finalist houses

who will play each other on Sports Day for the championship.

The school broke from the routine of classes to observe Jamaica

Day, a day to celebrate Jamaican culture, National Heroes and

West Indian pride. The school day consisted of skits, dances,

singing and videos as well as local delicacies like coco bread, ackee

and salt fish and a variety of baked sweets. The school hosted a

Professional Day for teachers sponsored by the Diocese of Mande-

ville on the topic of Character Education. Teachers and staff from

the Catholic primary school in Black River joined us for the input

and activities of our presenter from the Archdiocese of Kingston.

We were blessed with the presence of 5 students and a faculty

member from La Salle University in Philadelphia who assisted our

teachers and students in class as well as engaging in some manual

labor around the school compound. The Brothers’ Community

hosted them a barbecue dinner on the night they arrived and

accompanied them to the beach on the day before they returned

home to the snowy northeast.

As we journey through Lent and await the promise of new life at

Easter, all of us at St. Vincent Strambi Catholic High School

remember you in our prayers and ask for your continued support

and encouragement.

Sincerely,

Brother James, Brother James Dries, FSC

Principal

STRAMBI NEWS

St. Vincent Strambi Catholic High School Jan/Feb/Mar 2017 Bull Savannah, P.A., St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, West Indies Vol. 3, No. 3 Tele: +1 (876) 607 - 8016; Email: stvincentstrambi@gmail.com

Brother James discusses with parents the importance of the cooperation between the home and school in the Lasallian education of their child.

Left. Faculty from St. Theresa Basic School and St. Vincent Strambi HS listen attentively to Ms. Susan Hitchener, Director of Education, Archdiocese of Kingston, during the education workshop held at SVS.

Robert Blake, Form 5 and Gabrielle Swaby, Form 4 give Brother Dennis Lee, Auxiliary Visitor, a tour of the school building.

MEET OUR FORM 2 STUDENTS

BRANDON KIM BURTON, age 14, lives in Ballards Valley with his mother, Latoya Rowe who works at Juici Patties, Junction, and his older brother Stephen, a Form 5 student at Strambi. His father, Damian Burton, a construction worker, lives in London, England with another son, Demar Burton. Brandon is a transfer student from Black River HS, a 90 minute taxi drive from home. He likes the classroom environment and modern facilities of SVS and enjoys the social interaction between the faculty and students. He is a non-baptized member of the Ballards Valley Moravian Church. He enjoys listening to music and writing fiction stories. His favorite subjects are history, social studies and science. He hopes to become a teacher of Agri Science after graduating from university. During his free time, he works with his grandfather on the farm and going to the market.

ROANNA AMARIE NEIL, age 13, was born in Mandeville, Manches-ter Parish and is currently living in Dunder Hill, Junction. She lives with her parents, Rowan Roy and Tracyann Neil along with her sister Trae-Anna Amoy, age 3. Other siblings include Lesha, age 21, and Ronzone Rowan Neil, age 15. Roanna’s father farms for Alpart, the local bauxite mining company, and her mother sells cooking gas out of the home. She previously attended Monore Prep, Malvern, St. Elizabeth and she is a non-baptized member of the Church of God, Bull Savannah. Roanna, a Silver Honour Roll student, like maths, and her favorite teacher is Ms. Wright, maths teacher. Roanna enjoys the poetry of Louise Bennett, a Jamaican poet, folklorist and writer. During her free time, she reads mystery and romance stories and travels with family. Roanna’s career plan is to be a soldier or an airline hostess.

LEWIS JOSEPH-GIDDEON MCKINSON, age 14, was born in London, England and attended Sedgehill Elementary School and Santa Cruz Prep in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. He lives with his grandparents in Southfield, St. Elizabeth, while his parents, Donna Marie, a youth police officer, and Marcus Giddeon McKinson, a pastor, live in London with two other children, Estacia, age 6 and Leyla, age 13. Lewis is a non-baptized unaffiliated Christian. His favorite subjects are English, history and social studies, and his favorite teacher is Ms. Gayle. Lewis likes the more advanced technology at Strambi and the small class size. He enjoys go-karting and boxing where he completes in local competitions. He also plays the drums and is a member of the Starz Academy music group in Pines Plaza, Junction. His career plan is to become a musician, and he looks forward to his mom and sister visiting him this summer.

SHADAE VANESSA ELLIOTT, age 15, is a Gold Honour Roll student who was born in Portmore, St. Catherine Parish. She previously attended Asja Muslim School and Holy Name Convent School in Point Fortin, Trinidad where she lived with her mother, Cristol, a casino worker, and step-brother, Kai. Kevin Elliott, her father, and Roshawn, her brother, live in London, England where Mr. Elliott is a building demolition worker. Shadae now lives with her grand-mother and two aunties in Tryall, St. Elizabeth. She is a non-baptized Christian who worships at the Tryall Palace of Prayer Ministries. Shadae is a member of the debate and performing arts clubs, and her favorite subjects are English, Spanish and history. She enjoys her carpentry classes where she has made a wine rack and a veranda chair. Shadae is looking forward to spending the summer in Trinidad with her mother. She would like to attend either Yale or Harvard and major in law.

TEACHER HIGHLIGHT— MR. STEPHENSON

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHT - SCIENCE

EROL LLOYD STEHENSON is the senior member of the faculty. He was born in 1959 in Bull Savannah, and he is sixth child of eleven of his mother and one of the three of his father’s eighteen children. Erol received his primary education at Ballards Valley Primary School and his secondary education at Junction Secondary School, now B.B. Coke HS and St. Vincent Strambi Catholic High School. He has received many certificates in church leadership and religious education from the Dioceses of Kingston and Mandeville. At St. Vincent Strambi, Mr. Stephenson teaches religion and social studies and leads Devotion on Tuesday morning.

After the first recall of the Passionist priests in 1979, Mr. Stephenson moved into a three-room flat on the property and had remained ever since. He serves as the parish catechist, lay minister, sacristan and proper-ty manager. In his little free time, he raises flowers, plants and trees.

Two events that have impacted him and the parish life are the departure of Fr. Joseph Dunstan C.P., the founding pastor, and the departure in 2014 of the Missionary Society of Mandeville priests for the Archdiocese of Kingston.

Looking ahead, Mr. Stephenson would like to step aside in teaching and concentrate on the parish life of the church.

As in the United States, the Jamaican Ministry of Education (MOE) is stressing science study (STEM) to better situate Jamaica in a changing global and technologi-cal world. The MOE goes so far as to pay the national exam fee for one science subject for every Form 5 student!

At Strambi, all students in Forms 1, 2 and 3 follow Integrated Science, a general science curriculum. The classroom based course provides students with basic concepts in the life sciences, the physical sciences as well as health and hygiene. When students reach Form 4 they may select Biology and Integrated Science if they wish to pursue a science stream...a mini science major. Each course follows a rigorous standardized syllabus that includes an extensive lab component. At the end of Form 5, the national exam in these subjects includes the submission of the 20 lab experiences that were part of the syllabus.

Non-science oriented students in Form 4 and 5 can select a course in Human and Social Biology, a non-lab oriented course that stresses biology of the human being – a “user’s manual” to the human body.

The very humble science room has some basic equipment that is used to prepare students for the national exams. Despite the low enrollment in science's courses the students have the usual dreams about their futures: doctors, vets, nurses, engineers and airline pilots.

Top: Form 5 students conduct an experiment in plant anatomy, led by Kymani Stephenson, while Tameka Nelson, McHalia Dunkley and Terrique James record the results.

Bottom: Terrique James prepares her lab report after checking the lab results.

Above: Mr. Stephenson reviews the Sacraments of Initiation with his Form 1 students.

AROUND STRAMBI CAMPUS—JAMAICA DAY

Left: Jamaican Heroes were presented to the audience with a brief biography of their accomplishments. Centre: Cultural kitchen utensils are displayed. Right: Form 3 students D’jonae Jones and Conesha Elliott present, in local attire, Nanny of the Maroons and Paul Bogle.

Left: After an extended Devotion of song and prayer, students watched the “Oliver Samuels Comedy Show” to kick-off the celebration of Jamaica Day. Centre: Romario Hanson, Form 4, performs a local rap song entitled, “Tek it Back”. Right: Michal Ledford and Dimel Burchell, Form 4, entertain the assembly with the drum and guitar.

Left and right: Posters of Jamaica culture and noted individuals were displayed throughout the school building during the celebration before and after Jamaica Day. Folk Heroes, Poets and Olympic Queens are just a few. Centre: Roanna Neil, Form 2, recites “Love Letter”, a poem of Louise Bennett.

THE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

During the Friday Devotion, students performed a repertoire of Jamaica Day songs, dance, and poetry before presenting a special gift to: Professor Frank, Malaika, Katlyn, Jen G., Stephanie and Jen L.

Stephanie Morales joins Mrs. Clarke in a Form 4 class in visual arts. Each volunteer shadowed a teacher throughout the week and assisted in the grading of papers and performed tutoring.

The volunteers join Form 2 students in the gazebo for a lunch of fried chicken, rice and peas, salad and a beverage. The volunteers cooked their own evening meal in Solomon Hall, the six-bedroom, all ensuite, residence for visitors on the property.

A trip to Jamaica is not complete without a trip to Frenchman’s Reef, Treasure Beach and a boat ride out to the sandbar for a beverage, swim and shopping for handcrafted jewelry.

In addition to a thorough property clean-up, volunteers gave a fresh coat of paint to the picnic tables in the gazebo. Malaika, Professor Frank and Jen add a second coat of “Spanish Red” to the table.

Jen Grasmeader works a word puzzle with Form 2 students Tyrone Swaby and Rajay McLeaan. The volunteers also visited the local primary school and health clinic and St. John Bosco Boys Home in Mandeville.

THE BROTHERS’ CORNER

As a member of the parish catechetical team, Anthony presents a brief lesson to the parish community prior to the Sunday liturgy. On the Third Sunday of Lent, Anthony spoke about the “Message of Pope Francis for Lent—the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

John is Director of the Pontifical Mission Society for the Diocese of Mandeville. Pictured with him discussing an upcoming project are Sr. Lydia, ASN, Director of Holy Childhood Association, Mrs. Pauline Russell, Director of Education and Ms. Carleen Cato, Director of Evangelization.

In mid-January, the community came together for a CAP Review. Anthony leads a discussion on the spiritual, social, cultural and financial points in our CAP. The community reaffirmed it committment to the work of Announcing the Gospel to the Poor “beyond the borders” of the district.

Jerry is ever-present at morning Devotion, singing, clapping and praising the Lord. On March 13th, he celebrated his birthday at The Falls at St. John Bosco with the community, along with Sr. Maureen, SSJ, Sr. Mimi, RSM and Ms. Marcia Tai-Chun.

Left. The community gathers in the chapel for a Lenten Reflection on the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday and the Reflection provided by Paul Cillo. Right: At the Catholic College of Mandeville, John, a board member, and Ms. Marcia Tai-Chun, board chair, review the enrollment numbers for the online programs offered in partnership and collaboration with LaSalle University and Salve Regina University.