20 years of Striving for Excellence-Plaisance secondary marks 20th anniversary |30 May 2012

History
As the first regional school, officially opened on June 1, 1992 by President France Albert Rene, the motto chosen for the school was “Striving for Excellence”, which the President in his speech deemed as most fitting as it reflected the school’s aspirations.

The construction of the school, financed by the Seychelles government, was to bring together teenagers from different schools namely from Plaisance, Mont Fleuri, Les Mamelles and La Misere to one learning area.  This later went on to include students from Cascade as the intake grew.

The school started off with 956 students and 60 teachers of different nationalities as they tried to build one of the best schools in the country.  Surely there was a lot of work to be done to embellish the reclaimed land on which the school was built so as to ensure that the landscape matched its new building.

Performance
In terms of performance, Plaisance secondary soon began to leave its mark in both academic activities and in sports by having some of the top teams. Mrs Dora Ernesta, the former head teacher, explains while reflecting on the glory days of this regional school, that the well established House system played a key role to instil in the students the essence of team spirit and develop a greater sense of collective responsibility.

“This contributed greatly in unifying the students whilst coming from different zones and districts,” adds Mrs Ernesta.

The school also enjoyed a good relationship with the community over its years of existence and despite the zone being considered as a difficult area, the level of discipline has more or less been on par with other schools although there is always room for improvement.
Since its opening Plaisance has also been at the forefront of wildlife conservation and it has had a very proactive eco-school committee which has been the record winner of the best eco-school prize on six occasions resulting in trips to Aldabra as rewards for both students and staff.

As we reflect on the school over the last two decades there is much to rejoice, the fact that Plaisance has produced many professionals such as teachers, pilots, nurses, doctors as well as many entrepreneurs contributing to the continued advancement of our society. The school is also proud to have been the school where three current ministers -- namely Mr Jean-Paul Adam, Miss Idith Alexander and Mr Christian Lionnet -- followed their secondary studies.

Long-serving teachers
The many achievements with students at the school would not have been possible without the support and dedication of the teachers and staff.

20 years long-serving teachers: (l to r) Mr Gappy, Sir Gopaul, Mrs Shah, Ms Balette, Mr Barallon & Deacon Agathine (photo right)

For this 20th Anniversary of the opening of the school, the management of Plaisance secondary also recognises a group of teachers who have been there with the school since the very beginning; including Deacon Louis Agathine, a religion teacher; Mr Dave Gopaul, a Science teacher and now head of subject for Maths and Science; Mr Robert Gappy, a lab technician; Mrs Bharti Shah, an English teacher; Mr Arthur Barallon, a Maths teacher; and Miss Melanie Balette, a general assistant.

With their determination to continue Striving for Excellence over the past two decades and enriching experience, these dedicated teachers are considered valuable assets to Plaisance Secondary School.

The way forward
As a new dawn breaks for Plaisance Secondary School, its mission statement still reverberates as it strives for excellence in a team building spirit and also in its attempt to “Create a safe and conducive environment for the total development of personal and social achievement and self reliance”.

Under the current leadership and management of Mrs Ghislaine Monthy, the head teacher affirms there is no doubt that the road ahead is still long but the determination and will power is strong enough to ensure that Plaisance keeps aiming to be the top school in both academic and sports activities, thus ensuring the integral development of the student.

With a vision built on a solid base of committed teachers who are ready to push the students to the limit in order to achieve their goals and beyond, let’s all keep ‘Striving for Excellence’.
 
As we continue on our journey of providing life skills for the total development of our students in their academic and vocational endeavours, we wish all those associated with this school over the last twenty years -- be it as student or staff -- a Happy 20th Anniversary.