The Special Education Needs Department at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School is observing a week of activities under the theme SEN Partnerships – Helping Each Child To Maximize His/Her Potential.

L-R: Jerome Roberts, Melsadis Fleming, Rhonda Connor, Lavern K. Brown and Othlyn Vanterpool

The activities commenced on Sunday, March 14, when staff members and students attended the divine service at the No Walls Church of Hope Ministries where the Pastors are James and Pat Harrigan.

During the service, Head of the ALHCS Special Needs Education Department, Katherine Brown, explained that the Department was responsible for the preparation and delivery of a programme of academic and social development especially crafted for children needing extra help. That assistance was based on varying degrees of difficulty experienced by the students in area linked to their hearing, sight, thinking, understanding and emotional or physical capabilities.

“One of the greatest myths is that a child coping with Special Education Needs is doomed to failure,” Mrs. Brown observed. “In fact, there are many success stories right here in Anguilla where children with those needs…have excelled in their fields of expertise. Such achievements are, however, not easily realised. Educating the Special Education Needs child requires patience, self-motivation, interest, enthusiasm and most of all, love.”

Pastors James and Pat Harrigan

She applauded the initiatives of a number of persons who had been working with the Department. She stated that this was helping to raise awareness of the need for more community partners to become involved in nurturing and educating special needs children and eventually facilitating their integration into the wider society.

One of the other needs of the Department is money and at the church service two pledges were made by the Elected Member for East End, Jerome Roberts, and the Elected Member for Island Harbour, Othlyn Vanterpool, who both have a long history of working with young people. They each undertook to give EC$500 from their first salaries as parliamentarians. Pastor James Harrigan and his wife also promised to donate EC$250.
They were all thanked by Chief Education Officer, Rhonda Connor, for their thoughtfulness and generosity.
Pastor Harrigan commended the teachers and other persons for their hands-on relationship with the children thereby helping them to strive for their education, especially those with special needs.

Teachers and students in song

“The term ‘special needs’ may sound derogative, but whenever children are challenged with their education, we in the community need to reach out to raise them to their greatest potential,” he added.
The other activities for the week included a general assembly at Campus B with guest speakers, a visitor’s day, a practical skills day, a luncheon and Spelling B competition and awards.

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