On Thursday November 1st, 2018, the students of the British Virgin Islands Seventh-day Adventist School showed up for school in no uniform. All were dressed in their finest apparel to participate in the maiden boys and girls only leadership seminars (BOLD and GOLD). This initiative, which was the brainchild of Family and Consumer Science educator, Miss Shauna-Kay Miller, was organized for eighth to twelfth graders. The students were expected to dress bold, accessorized with a touch of gold. The event was celebrated under the theme, “Servant Leaders are true Royals”, and the focus text was Ps. 144:12, Let’s pray that our young sons will grow like strong plants and that our daughters will be as lovely as columns in the corner of a palace. CEV
The boys and girls were housed in separate sections of the auditorium and were exposed to various topics of importance to pre-teens and teens. The facilitators hailed from varied sectors of the local church, private and government communities. Areas of focus included personal hygiene, self-esteem and body image, table manners internet safety, clothing choices, sexuality, drugs, anger management etc. Lunch and snacks were provided for the student, and each student was presented with a folder of writing material, an outline of the program, and a bookmark to commemorate the event.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and were able to interact with the facilitators on different levels of participation. The session was not just geared for their listening and participation; at the end of the session, they were expected to produce a written synopsis of what they had learned from the program. This assignment will have earned them academic grades and seven (7) credits were allotted to each student who attended the seminar. Prizes were also awarded in different categories for best-dressed male and female students.
The ultimate goal of the BVI SDA School is to ensure that students not only learn about God, and to instill spiritual values, but that they acquire skills to help them to positively interact with their various communities. We pray that the students will remember these principles and apply them to their daily activities, and to not only persevere for excellence, but to grow in wisdom and stature and stay in favor with God and their fellowmen.