Students at Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS) connected with local sports organisations during a club showcase on Thursday.
The initiative encouraged students to join clubs and teams, promoting overall mental and physical well-being.
This effort aligns with the school’s theme for the year, “Make this year the best yet: Let’s raise the bar.”
Thirteen sports clubs and several other internal school clubs were on show at the event.
Physical education teacher Yasmine St Ange explained to St. Lucia Times that the initiative is part of a deliberate effort to encourage greater student participation in sports.
“We have always encouraged students to join sports clubs; however, we never saw the impact of mere encouragement,” she said. “Therefore, we decided to bring the clubs to the students, and we were content by the feedback and the eagerness of the students to learn about and join the clubs. ”
Babonneau Rising Stars Cricket Academy was represented at the showcase by players Valdan Philip and Vishal Singh, who led the registration process.
Head coach Jervaughn Charles thanked the school for the opportunity to engage with the students.
He noted that his club is particularly focused on increasing female participation in the sport.
“This opportunity that the stakeholders at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School has provided us with the chance to expand our numbers especially in the female category.” Charles said. “We are hoping to form a female cricket team to balance the scales of gender in Saint Lucia.”
Additionally, Charles revealed that his club is committed to the holistic development of professionals across age categories.
“We at Babonneau continue to strive for excellence in the area of cricket and are fully equipped in giving cricketers of all ages an authentic experience of the sport,” the coach indicated.
“Our programme involves a two-handed approach, one hand involves the training to develop the body (skills and talents) and mind & the second hand involves the output of such talent on local, regional and soon the international level.”
CCSS remains committed to fostering inclusivity and broader community engagement, promising a positive impact on the future of youth sports in Saint Lucia and the region at large.
