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The Polytechnic Institute (SIXTH FORM GOVERNMENT SCHOOL) Newsletter
Greetings from the President
12. 12. 22
Hello My Dear Poly People,
It is my absolute pleasure and honor to address you as President of Sixth Form Government’s Student Council. Firstly I would like to commend all the candidates who immersed themselves into the campaign process during elections. Secondly I would like to thank all students of Sixth Form Government who participated in the voting process, without your votes and support the Student Council that presently resides would not have been possible.
I extend these greetings with the support from all the members of the Student Council, with your support we are able to fulfill our jobs successfully. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to all students that participated and will continue to participate in the activities we are proud and elated to provide and organize. May we all continue to do our part in the upbringing and resurgence of the ‘Poly Spirt.’ The Student Council wishes you a very happy and safe holidays, see you in January!
Parang 2022
7.12.22
The competition spirit is always at its best in Poly for our annual inter house Parang competition. The houses include: red, blue, purple and green all coming in full gear to be the parang champions, but only one can be the champion.
Weeks and weeks of preparation leading up to this, from costume fittings to practice sessions, trying to learn the “Spanish words,” syncing with instruments just to ensure that the performances were well executed.
Tuesday 6th December, 2022 was a day filled with vibrancy and energy. It started with a Christmas service and at about 12:30 pm, competition mode was on. It started with the traditional song, each house selected a traditional song to perform, followed by the soca parang choice. The traditional was sung first by each house and then the soca parang, the energy was high!
Each house did their performance, looking amazing in all the various designs but only one house was able to capture the judges “ and in first place we have none other than the GREEN house” members of this house rushed to the stage to collect their award with a chant of empowerment and success. One of the lead singers of green house Mr . Keanu O’souna collected the challenge trophy on behalf of the house and gave a small speech of gratitude and pride. Tears of joy ran down Ms Cedeno’s face and all of the Green House was ecstatic, mainly because of a hiccup with the outfits and yet managed to conquer the competition.
A heartfelt congratulations to ALL HOUSES, we all felt like winners that day!
Reaching Great Heights
“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
This is the story of our awardees for 2022.
Our current upper 6, then lower six (in 2021), students excelled academically with their determination. As a result, they were rewarded. Each student was given a trophy for exceptional performance in a subject, some even won two…and three! A trophy was also awarded to a student that displayed true ‘Poly Spirit’ and was deemed student of the year.
Such an achievement should be recognised on graduation day. However, the small, yet sentimental, award ceremony occurred during a school assembly, in the presence of current lower sixers. This incentive was to encourage us students, both upper and lower, to do what it takes to become successful and hopefully descend the glorious stairs of lecture room one to receive our trophy next year.
The students’ successes were short of easy. Tears were shed, motivation ran low and giving up seemed so much easier. Yet, our polyians kept at it and reached great heights. Congrats to our scholars!
No Greater Gift Than Love
9/12/22
The main element of Christmas is love, a gift we give annually, around this time, to children of the Wesleyan Holiness children's home - Florence Foundation . This month, Polyians visited this orphanage in hopes of spreading Christmas joy and creating memories to last a lifetime…and their experience was nothing short of heartwarming.
"My experience was better than I thought. I thought that the kids were gonna be shy
and not interact with us but they were very welcoming. At first they were shy as expected but they warmed up to us. There's one little girl who made my day, she just smiled whole day which made my heart melt because I don't know what she's going through but u know an orphanage is not the way to raise a child but I'm very contented that those kids were able to smile with all they've been through."
- Celeste Clarke
“My experience at the Children ‘s home was one like no other.
When we first walked in, some of the children looked as if they were having a bad day. Some looked stressed out and unhappy, which really broke our hearts but thankfully, us polytechnicians stepped in. After playing interactive games with them to break the ice, the entire atmosphere of the home changed for the better, we saw nothing but smiles. It was heartwarming to see the enthusiasm on the children’s faces and over time it was interesting to see how their distinctive personalities began to shine through when they got more comfortable with us. We engaged in outdoor games, indoor crafts and even a gift exchange.It was clear to see that they were extremely grateful for us and we made their day. After seeing the contentment on these children’s faces after such a fun day with them, we were certain that we achieved success. I’m certain that these children will never forget about us and the positivity we’ve contributed to their young lives. It’s an honor for me to add to these children’s happiness, I’m glad that our school continues to help them and I'm looking forward to visiting them again.”
- Jordan Belfon
"When we first arrived I didn't know what to expect from these children but as we got to know them and interact with them, I don't regret my time going. They were wonderful and very kind and friendly towards us. It was a joy to be able to make their days just a little brighter and their Christmas even sweeter"- Athalia Vegas
SIIIXXX!
Cheers are in the air! Smiles are wide! Who's gonna win cricket?! Guess we have to wait till January...See you then!
Let's Play a Game!
Mr and Ms Poly
8.12.22
After the pandemic and returning to physical schooling, it was indeed a pleasure to have traditional activities. One such activity at Poly is the annual “Mr and Ms Poly” pageant, held on December 8th, 2022 and was hosted by the student council. This show was a great success!
Fifteen candidates, ideally four from each house competed for these titles. The theme for this event was “elegantly casual” , which allowed all students to “dress up” and also have guests attend the show. The contestants had three categories to be judged on:
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A creative presentation of “What Trinidad and Tobago means to me”
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Formal wear
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Question and answer segment.
All contestants did a fantastic job and the audiences were in uproar for all the presentations, it was a spectacular event! The entertainment included past students singing, as well as, present students doing a dance performance and even moments of unplanned performers as the judges needed more time to finalize. Yes! The contestants did make their task a difficult one, all putting their best foot forward.
The winner included first runner up and People’s choice: Joshua Adams and Soraya Jordan Diaz and the title of Mr and Ms Poly went to David Charles and Kurdisha Baptiste. These individuals will now forge with the Student Council on an event to support a cause and also assist with school projects, and they did walk away with awesome prizes as well.
Good job to all that participated in this event and to all the contestants, your bravery to grace the stage was recognised! Always making memories at Poly.
Emptiness
Emotions are so confusing. There are different types of emotions which can either be positive or negative. For every situation, there is a specific emotion that you should present. I’m tired of my feelings. I constantly choose the wrong emotion for every situation.
Anger, sadness, hopeless is considered negative emotions. People say that you should not care about others’ opinions and focus on yourself. But that is very hard. As a person raised to be a people pleaser and a perfectionist, it's hard to focus on yourself. I'm trying. My emotions are negative at this point, and it hurts to feel. Because no matter the situation, I make the wrong choice of being sad, angry, or hopeless. My emotions are all screaming out of my body each one wants to reach out at once. They hurt, they hurt. I just want a few days where I don't have to feel anything without hurting others. But why does everyone expect me to stay positive all the time? And to make no mistakes?
Why will they be so upset with me for wanting to be sad? Is it a sin to want to be unhappy, angry, and depressed? I wish, I truly wish I could be positive. I wish I could let go of the endless pain that I bare. Can I stop hurting others? Can I stop hurting myself? I just want to make everyone proud without hurting them. I continuously feel like I'm an issue and that I’m the burden that ruins everything. I feel like I'm the evil that is persistent in being alive. I want happiness. But I feel like I’m destined to suffer for the rest of my life. I want everyone to let go of me so that they don’t drown in the depths of my sorrow. My pain feels too much to bear, and one day it will kill me.
When I’m near people feel, and that hurts. Maybe I should be alone because feeling anything is killing me. I want a break from feeling everything. But if I’m alone, I’ll hurt the people that care, and they’ll begin, if not already start to hate me. So please, let me be empty, and don't judge me for it.
Three years, two moons ago, When the stars danced.
And castles from the finest hands, Warped time, and led to milky ways. Three years,
When darkness crept.
And inside the anther of sunflowers Black holes swarmed.
Two moons, ago.
When Pathos, lived in me
And Icarus lived through me.
MAN
I don't want to be a man, I don't want to sit and watch the haven I created be destroyed by my angst and oppression. I don't want to be silenced by society because of my evil thoughts that I have no control over. I will forever be persecuted by the world I built. Did I ever fathom the thought? Power is my only weakness, yet I thrive with it. I put it in place and it has betrayed me. My words are not heard until I am blue. I Will complain but never change. I just wanted to be heard . I wanted too much control, and, and it has taken over. I hope I can be forgiven for the sins I have been blinded to see even though I committed them wrongfully . I will love to partake in carnal desires that will throw me into an endless cycle of whimpers. I am man, dense, mighty and striking .
"Poly Cricket"
Excitement fills the air as the houses get ready for cricket
The war has began as the students reap their teams
Shouting, screaming, cheering is heard from a mile away
The heavy beating of the drums fill the surrounding atmosphere
Empire!
The team shouts, as they grumble on and about
The sound of the of the horn
The chants of each house
"Go blue go!"
The competitive spirit passes through each team mate
Mr Sir screaming "we only need to out one more"
The anticipation arises
Pressure is what everyone feels
Mr batsman thinking he hadda bat the ball over the roof or out he goes
BAMM
The ball hits the bat and over the roof it goes
Not one minute to spare the team cheer
as the other gives a look of despair
The cheers die down
The crowds disperse
Another fun day of cricket at Polytechnic
Wah we drinking this Christmas?
#2 Ethel Street, St. James, Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.
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