Sonia Mitchell, Gleaner Writer

Mrs. Diania Wynter, principal of William Knibb High School.

Teachers at William Knibb High School in Trelawny have credited Gleaner publications with providing an additional resource to inspire students to read, think critically and become more aware of current affairs.

Audrey Steele, teacher of English language and literature, said the administration was trying to change a subculture in which students were sometimes ridiculed for articulate speech. Among the unfortunate slurs, Steele said, was the labelling of well-spoken boys as gay and effeminate, while girls who had proficiency in standard English were called pretentious and elitist.

Stimulate reading

"What you find is that students like when the teacher reads to them instead of them having to read the newspaper," the teacher remarked, adding that students were mainly interested in entertainment news.

Steele, a participant at The Gleaner's Newspaper in Education workshop two years ago, said teachers tried to stimulate reading by tapping into students' interests. Sport pages, for example, are used to write reports and impart skills in sequential story development, while cartoons often spark debate.

Diania Wynter, principal at William Knibb said Gleaner publications have tremendously helped students in academics subjects such as language and literature and the arts, among other areas of study.

"More students keep coming back to ask about The Gleaner's newspapers when they don't see them, as more are coming to see the importance of the newspaper," she bragged during the telephone interview.

Wynter mentioned that newspaper features often triggered classroom discussions and allowed students to analyse different writing styles.

Persuasive writing

The newspaper is also used as a template for summary and persuasive writing, as well as scripting synopses.

The headmistress urged newspaper managers, however, to explore more youth-based issues, as evidenced in the STAR and Youthlink tabloids, which would stimulate greater patronage of its daily edition.

William Knibb Memorial High School was founded in January 1961 with 41 students. The school population has since grown to more than 1,200 students, with 52 academics, six administrative and nine auxiliary members rounding out the staff complement.

sonia.mitchell@gleanerjm.com