Kindergarten students from Truth for Youth School held their graduation ceremony on 16 June. (Photo by Bobby Joseph, Island Photo)

By Kevin Shreves
Kevin@caymannetnews.com

Milestones and awards have been the order of the day for students of Truth for Youth School recently.
Truth for Youth students were the proud recipients of five gold medals, three silver medals and 3 bronze medals during the Children’s Festival of the Arts on 11 June, and the school also hosted its junior high graduation on 18 June and the kindergarten graduation on 16 June.

The Church of God International runs the school, which was formed in 1960 by a group of American missionaries. As a result, the school has developed an American-style curriculum.

Edna Guiwa is the Principal at Truth for Youth School and has 41 years of teaching experience.

She said, “Each child should be well prepared and our purpose is to prepare all the students academically, socially and spiritually for the future. Our school motto is: ‘Honour God, our school, and our land’.”

“We start each day with a teachers and a student’s devotional,” Ms Guiwa said. “We begin each day with a prayer and we encourage the children to pray because they are communicating something coming straight from the heart.”

She continued, “Our primary goal is to teach the children how to read. On the secular level the Truth for Youth School operates under a pragmatic view of education. Students should obtain grade level-appropriate skills in reading, writing and mathematics as well as a broad based education in science, social studies, computer, arts, music and physical education. To the end that each child should be well prepared upon leaving the school for the continuation of his or her education.”

Ms Guiwa noted that students should have a moral compass and also be aware of the world around them.

She said, “Our objectives are to emphasise that parents and teachers should train the child in the way that he should grow so that when he is old he will not depart from it. Secondly, to teach the basic competencies in reading, writing and Mathematics. We want to also enable students to learn other subjects and to effectively communicate their knowledge. Thirdly, all grade levels are encouraged to develop an interest in other cultures, people, music, arts and sports through the programmes that we offer. When it comes to social studies we are learning about the culture of people of the Caribbean, the Americas and the World.”

The school principal also shared some details on the way the private school is run and funded.

Ms Guiwa said, “I always tell people that we are living by faith. This is a school run by the Church of God International. We receive a small grant from the government but we also receive support and contributions from ‘Helping Hands’, which are a group of former students that are community leaders and business owners. They are our alumni and volunteers and they provide ongoing assistance to the school. Each August we hold a lighting ceremony at our church to show our appreciation for them.”

Katherine Craig is an alumna of The Truth for Youth School and volunteers as a part of
‘Helping Hands’.

She said, “I graduated from the Truth of Youth School and all four of my children graduated from the Truth for Youth School. As a volunteer, I have a strong sense of pride in the school. ‘Helping Hands’ are a group of former students and this is our tenth year in operation. We felt that it was incumbent upon us to start giving back because Truth for Youth had been so good to us and one of our biggest joys is being able to give back to the school.”

Ms Craig continued, “My children went on to study at Jacksonville and Tampa University in Florida. The school did wonderfully for my children and I. As for our family, we hold the school very dear to our hearts.”

Describing the graduation ceremonies, Ms Craig said, “The graduation was a huge success. We were able to put the students in gowns and top hats and this enhanced the graduation ceremony and it was one of the best that the school had ever had.”

She also praised the students who excelled at the Festival of the Arts.

“Walking away with all the medals really gave the students a level of pride and appreciation for all their accomplishments,” she said. “This will be a great way to start off the new school year and the students know exactly what is expected of them and they are already motivated to do more. We are all very impressed and proud to know that they walked away with so many medals.”

Ms Craig encouraged parents to enroll their children at the school, saying, “The Truth For Youth School is a school based on good moral values and we appreciate the parents who send their children to our school. We are a drug-free school and we look forward to our current students returning and are looking forward to seeing some new faces for the coming school year.”