CLARENDON, JAMAICA: Glenmuir High first in region: Glenmuir tops region in CSEC STEM....Top ranked student Delano Francis explains why it is important for teachers to encourage and believe in their students.

BY PENDA HONEYGHAN Observer writer honeyghanp@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, January 17, 2016    

AT a time when global career demands are changing to reflect an increasing need for students to be trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, Glenmuir High School in Clarendon appears to be ahead of the curve, as is evidenced by the school’s performance at the 2015 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC).

Delano Francis explains why it is important
for teachers to encourage and believe in
 their students.

Two of its students earned the highest grades in building technology construction in the Caribbean, with five others placing third, fourth, and sixth. Delano Francis and Glendon Taylor shared first place; Jeremy Anderson was third; Norris Redhi and Gillian Thompson tied for fourth; and Irinski Crooks and Elvisovara Francis placed sixth.

Glendon Taylor discusses the value
of acquiring a technical
 subject.

At the national level, Francis and Taylor, the obvious standouts, placed first and second respectively in the category of Technical and Vocational Studies. The boys, both 17, would have had to perform exceptionally in the areas of information technology, technical drawing and building technology construction, in addition to meeting the eligibility criteria of achieving grade one in at least eight subjects. The Jamaica Association of Principals and Secondary Schools awarded them two Fridays ago at the national CXC award ceremony at deCarteret College in Manchester.

The success at the regional level came as no surprise to building technology and construction teacher Phillip Mohan, whose students have regularly placed in the top 10 over the years. more