Special needs pupils showcase talent in eco-friendly exhibition |30 November 2020

The School for the Exceptional Child opened its doors to the general public on Friday to proudly display the students’ work done during this year.

The exhibition consisted of three parts – the academic section, the crafts section and the ‘konpetisyon larou’ display.

The academic section showcased the students’ work in the different academic subjects throughout this year. The special needs coordinator, Elisette Racombo, proudly said that albeit the Covid-19 outbreak early this year disrupted the academic routine of the students, the teachers worked hard with them to get back on track, and their success was evident in the exhibition.

Colourful paintings, various papier maché pieces, and other crafty objects made of recycled materials were displayed in the Crafts section. Judith Naiken, an invested arts teacher at the school, introduced her talkative student, Arnaud Arrisol, who has a particular interest and skill in stencil printing, which excitedly presented his papier maché starfish and painting.

A very emotional parent visiting the exhibition expressed her pleasant surprise at the amount of creativity and passion put into the contents of and the exhibition itself. Many parents who came with their children to view the exhibition were impressed by the fact that it consisted of mostly pieces made out of recyclable materials.

The head teacher of the school, Heidi Francourt, explained that every year the school hosts a competition which aims at highlighting the talents of the students, giving them a spirit of friendly competition and raising awareness of environmental issues. This year’s theme was ‘konpetisyon larou’. This year the students worked very hard with their respective teachers to create innovative projects out of recycled tires.

The judges of said competition were Tracey Constance and Catherina Onezia, who commented that this competition is a good initiative in facing the issues of pollution in Seychelles and that the public should take example on the creative use of these recyclable materials.

The Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin, accompanied by two other officials, was enthusiastically welcomed and greeted by a group of students and some members of the school’s management team. Head teacher Heidi and her team guided the minister through the exhibition while giving him a few details about the happenings at the school, the setbacks and strengths.

Ms Francourt thanked her team and the teachers at the school who are always keen to teach the students all they are able to learn, the parents who give their children and the school all their support, and especially Seypec (Seychelles Petroleum Company) who she says is by the management’s side all year round helping wherever it can.

The exhibition was a high-spirited activity and everyone concerned would have deemed it a success.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the open day and of the children’s work in the exhibition.

Iza Amade

Photos: Louis Toussaint