A Cyberfair 2007 Project
by
Excelsior Private Secondary School
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PROJECT NARRATIVE
Project Introduction
Title: The Father of our Nation
Category: Local Leaders
School: Excelsior Private Secondary School
Address: #8 Melville Lane; Port - of - Spain; Trinidad; West Indies
Other Information:
Excelsior Private Secondary School is a fairly small school.
The entire form three class,
twelve students, between the ages of 13 and 16 participated in this project.
Mrs. Michelle P. Barton-Romeo is the Information Technology teacher, she joined the school in February 2007.
This is the first year that Excelsior is participating in Cyberfair.
E-mail Contact: mpbromeo@tstt.net.tt
Our School’s website: NONE
Bibliography: Bibliography Page
Project Overview
Description of "Our Community"
Excelsior Private Secondary School is located in the Nation’s Capital. In our
community there is a unique mix of Businesses,
Schools, Government Organizations & Ministries, Sporting Fields and Complexes and the ever popular Queen's Park Savannah.
We are also blessed to have the President’s House in close proximity.
Summary of Our Project
As we look through the windows of our school we see a huge sign “Balisier House ….. Founded 1956 …”
This is the headquarters of the ruling political party, the “People’s National Movenent”.
For our project we took a look into the life of the first leader of the PNM who established
this “Balisier House” Dr. Eric Eustace Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago.
Dr. Eric Williams was born in Port of Spain and served as Member of Parliament for Port of Spain - South.
CyberFair Theme
This year’s theme “Empower and Unite” are two of the words that describe Dr. Williams’
role as Prime Minister of this twin island Republic. If there ever was a leader that
empowered and united the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago it was Dr. Williams.
Through his efforts we are no longer colonially ruled but are now a democratic republic.
Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home: 25%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the school: 10
C. Connection speed used in our school: Wireless High Speed
D. Number of years our school has been connected to the Internet: ¼ year.
Problems We Had To Overcome
For many of these students this was the first time that they were involved in anything
of this nature. It was challenging getting them to settle down to do research and compile information.
The other problem was the fact that unfortunately many students still view the computer as a “PlayStation”
this too was another hurdle to conquer as now we had to educate the students on the many valuable uses of a computer.
Our Project Sound Bite
This project enabled the students to look beyond the gates of the school and to realize
that education is not only attainable from school books. They ascertained that they can learn
a lot from the people in the community as well. This was truly an exciting, educational experience.
How did your activities and research for this International Schools
CyberFair Project support required coursework and curriculum standards?
Our involvement in this project opened up a new era for us. Unfortunately, history is not one of the subjects taught here at Excelsior
and so as the students had a chance to delve a little into the history of Trinidad and Tobago it made them very excited. The students
also learned a little about the use of the computer and the internet for research, website building and document preparation.
Project Elements
What information tools & technologies did you use to complete your
CyberFair project?
Our project information was compiled from three sources, an oral interview, the internet and a visit to a museum.
Dr. Williams died long before these students were born so we tried to bring him back to life. The Eric Wiliams
Memorial Collection and the interview with Dr. Cuthbert Joseph were the main aspects of the project that taught
the students about Dr. Williams.
We also had the use of ten Computer Systems with High Speed Internet Access. This was used for additional research and the designing and
building of the website. All the pictures were taken by the students and the teacher with the use of a digital camera. Our most valuable
tool was the computer systems because we were able to do everything we needed for the final project using this amazing technology.
In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your
CyberFair project ?
Our students ambassadors used letters and telephone to contact the people in the community.
What has been the impact of your project on your community?
As we spoke to members in the community we noticed that everyone was excited to see the students
involved in a project like this one and were very willing to lend their support. Our project will encourage the Nation's youth
to learn about our past leaders and to pass on the information to their children. Although Dr. Williams will never be forgotten,
there are many things about him that is not common knowledge, with this in mind we are certain that people will learn something new as
they view these web pages. Dr. Williams was an advocate for education. We believe that education will solve our present crime situation and so we do hope that
people will be once again inspired to educate themselves and help others to get educated. The parents and family members were also quite excited
to see their children involved in Cyberfair.
Project Bibliography
1. Specially prepared pamphlets from Dr. Cuthbert Joseph
2. The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Museum
3. The official website of the PNM
4. The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Website
We now invite you to view Our Project
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