New name the first of many changes for Brac school

(CNS): The family of the late Layman E. Scott has donated $10,000 to the high school on Cayman Brac, which was renamed in his honour at a ceremony last week. The name change from the Cayman Brac High School to the Layman E. Scott Sr High School, after its first principal, comes just a few months before a restructuring of the school to the 5+1 system, in which students sit their external examinations in Year 11 followed by a compulsory Year 12 — a system that is now in place in the high schools on Grand Cayman. Layman Scott is credited with the introduction of O Levels to the Brac school but the facility which now bears his name will, in two years time, also offer Advanced Placement curricula for studies beyond that level.

At a ceremony on 20 April that coincided with the late Layman Scott’s birthday, the current principal, Adrian Jones, pointed to the legacy of excellence that Scott had left and outlined some of the achievements of Brac students over the past year alone. Kathrine Lazzari gained the highest mark of any student in the region in her Integrated Science CXC exam, Jones said. Furthermore, he noted that 64% of the graduating Year 12 class had gained five or more high grade passes.

Jones, who presides over a high school that currently has 166 students enrolled, also noted that two CBHS students, Katherine Tatum and Joel Gayle, were part of a three-way tie for first place in the Lions Club Spelling Bee competition; Jovonnie Anglin won the UCCI’s essay contest for high school students; Anitha Velusamy won the Optimist Club of Grand Cayman’s oratorical contest and went on to place fourth in the regional competition in Jamaica; Fraulein Whorms won the "My Cayman, Adventures in Citizenship" essay competition; and the debating team of Katherine Lazzari, Nayo Swan, Zachary Jones and Joel Gayle prevailed, "bringing an end to the short hiatus from prominence since Hurricane Paloma."

In addition, Jones said that two students, Jonothon Frederick and Amelia Gillespie, will be travelling to Jamaica to represent the Cayman Islands at this year’s CARIFTA Games; Eric Caraballo was joint winner of the Young Caymanian Film-maker contest; and Zachary Jones is the latest recipient of the United World College scholarship.

"Truly the accomplishments of this excellent school are befitting of the hero that paved the way and whom we now will rightfully rename in his honour," Jones said.

At the ceremony held at the school, Chief Officer for the Education Ministry, Mary Rodrigues, described how Scott took up the post of principal of the Cayman Brac Secondary Modern School, as it was called then, on 23 January 1967, when the school had 73 students and four staff members, and served until October 1973. During that time he introduced O Level study to the Brac school so that students wishing to take those exams did not have to relocate to Grand Cayman.

Rodrigues also described Scott’s contributions to education on Grand Cayman, where he later took charge of the Department of Tourism’s Hotel Training School and also the Marine School and the Building and Trade School — the forerunner of what is now the University College of the Cayman Islands. The Vocational Studies Building at UCCI was later renamed the Layman E. Scott Block.

The ceremony included remarks by Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor Connolly (a past student), Education Minister Rolston Anglin, District Commissioner Ernie Scott and Jude Scott on behalf of the family, and a current student, Christopher Barnes, read an essay he had written in honour of Layman Scott.

Not mentioned at the ceremony were the imminent changes to the school, starting next September, whereby Year 10 students will begin their two year study for CXC, GCSE and equivalent external examination, which they will sit in the summer of 2013 at the end of Year 11. (Currently students take these exams in year 12.) This will be followed by a compulsory Year 12 class starting in September 2013, in which students will have the opportunity to take vocational courses or retake Level 2 exams, while those ready for more rigorous study can go on to Advanced Placement courses. This 5+1 system was put in effect two years ago on Grand Cayman and the new Year 12 was introduced there last September for the first time.

However, construction of a Year 12 block on Cayman Brac to accommodate the new courses has apparently been cancelled, even though $2 million was approved in the last budget, leaving concerns over the lack of space at the facility as well as staffing issues.

An informal meeting in which parents and teachers on the PTA Executive Committee were to discuss these issues with the education minister on the day after the name changing ceremony did not take place because the minister did not show up.