Cadets give St. Paul’s Primary new look

By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com

Members of the Cadet Corps flanked by Commander of the SKNDF Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace [left] and Public Affairs Officer Lieutenant Kayode Sutton

For the past two Saturdays the Cadets were tasked with improving the look of St. Paul’s Primary School by repainting the exterior walls of the entire complex, which is scheduled for completion on Saturday, May 24. 

On a visit to the school last Saturday, SKNVibes found the Cadets hard at work with paint brushes and rollers in hand and learnt that they were not only having fun, but setting examples for the youths in that village and surrounding areas.

Speaking with 14-year-old Deondreh Belle of Stapleton Village, the Basseterre High School student told this media house that she recently joined the Cadet Corps and was very enthusiastic in participating in all aspects of the scheduled training programme.

“Painting this school is a pleasure! I am having fun doing it with my fellow Cadets and it gives me a sense of commitment knowing that I am contributing towards a healthier environment for the kids of this school,” she said.

Belle believes that all young people should become members of the SKNDF’s Cadet Corps because “it does not only teach you to be disciplined, but it also teaches you to be involved in constructive activities and keeps you off the road and away from trouble”.

Eighteen-year-old Latoya Mills is a student of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and a Lance Corporal [LCPL] in the Cadet Corps. She joined the Corps some three years ago and had participated in numerous training activities, including the International Cadets Camp held in Barbados last year.   ~~Adz:Right~~

She is also looking forward to this year’s Camp, which will be held in St. Vincent where Cadets from Canada are also scheduled to participate.

“I had joined the Cadet Corps when I was in the fourth form and have no regrets doing so. Over the past three years I have learnt how to be a good leader, how to effectively manage my time and how to work efficiently with members of the Cadet Corps as well as with my peers,” she said.

Asked what she thought about the Cadets’ involvement in the painting of the school and what message she had for young people in the Federation, the LCPL said, “I see it as a good activity for the Cadet Corps in helping the community of St. Paul’s and I would like to tell my fellow teenagers that becoming a member of the Cadet Corps is not a bad choice, even though some people have misconceptions of what it’s all about.

“In the Cadet Corps we train hard and learn many different things that can make your life better when you become an adult. We work together as a team and go on trips where we meet people from different parts of the region and from all walks of life. As Cadets we are exposed to new ideas, new knowledge, skills and talent, and I am appealing to young people to join the Cadet Corps, because they can develop their minds to do something good and not bad,” LCPL Mills said.

Commander of the SKNDF, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace was also at the site and commended the Cadets’ parents for allowing them to participate in the Community Development Project.

“I would like to commend the parents of the Cadets for allowing them to come out on the weekends to participate in this project. The participation of the parents goes a long way in the success of these projects, and if the parents of the delinquent young people that we see around should only get involved in their lives and get them to participate in meaningful programmes, they would not be on the streets.

“The Cadet Corps is only one of the entities that can make an impact on the lives of young people and the parents should look to it as a means to instill discipline and good values in their children,” the Commander said.
Public Affairs Officer and Officer Commanding the Cadet Corps, Lieutenant Kayode Sutton said the Corps had used St. Paul’s Primary School to conduct its training of members for the 2006 Summer Camp and repainting the institution is a gesture of appreciation and gratitude.   ~~Adz:Right~~

He informed that the paint, brushes and rollers were purchased by the school and the Cadets provided the labour.
“Normally, on a Saturday like this, the Cadets would be engaged in physical training, playing rugby, football or cricket. But last weekend and this one also, we decided to make a change and contribute something to the community by giving the St. Paul’s Primary School a face lift,” Sutton said.

Sutton also explained the various ways in which the SKNDF contributes to members of the Cadet Corps: “We teach Cadets to be leaders and to be good followers as well. We teach them about self-respect, respect for their elders and others as well as their peers. We teach them to be tolerant of each other and to accept people for their differences. We also teach them to be responsible human beings, to be civic-minded and not criminals.”

“The kids are here painting, running around and having fun. They are not holding guns, they are not robbing anyone…they are doing something constructive. By the time we leave here they would have been able to further develop their sense of purpose, sense of achievement, their sense of responsibility and they would be looking forward to the next project,” he added.

Sutton pointed out that every school that the Cadets would use for their Summer Camp or every area they see that needs uplifting, the challenge would be undertaken. He also noted that while the Cadets had used the St. Paul’s School in 2006, they had made repairs to the bathrooms, toilets and kitchen “as well as cutting the grass and clearing the drains”.

He said it is likely that they would request permission to use the Tyrell Williams Primary School in Verchilds for this year’s Summer Camp, and every year thereafter they would rotate their stay in order to demonstrate the usefulness and benefits of the Cadets Corps to children within the various communities.