Thirteen years after opening with just three students, St Jude's has produced its first ever Form 6 graduation class.
These students, who come from impoverished backgrounds, will become the future doctors, teachers, scientists and leaders of Tanzania.
Get to know the Class of 2015 by looking through our inaugural Year Book.
Raspberry Pi may have taken out top prize, but this was certainly no cooking competition.
The School of St Jude’s 5th annual Science Day, which featured more than 100 entries in another successful year, was topped by Venance in 4C and Martin in 3H for their “Smart House with Raspberry Pi”.
Venance and Martin spent almost a year developing their project, which enables control of many household functions (temperature, electricity supply, lighting, etc) throughout their home from the one place. It can also be controlled remotely, by mobile phone.
The students were allocated a small room to work on their project, and used Raspberry Pi, a low-cost, compact device, to program it.
The work Rickson, Aneth and Secilia put into their innovative maize sheller, made up of bicycle components, earned them second place.
Third spot was taken out by “Harvest Throughout a Year” by Ramadhani and Edson.
Mr Mcharo, Smith campus Head of Science and ICT, said school staff and students were happy with how the day, on April 24, proceeded.
He said he was excited it had featured the beginning of a new and exciting direction for the annual event.
The day-long event was proudly and generously sponsored by Bright Green Enterprise, Kiliative Solutions and Clock Tower Service Station. Thank you!
Bright Green Enterprise Executive Director Lucy Devall said it was the social enterprise education organisation’s third year running their programmes and supporting Science Day.
“Your students are some of the brightest and most able I have met throughout the past five years of working between Tanzania and UK education,” she said.
Talent from St Jude’s, Arusha Technical College , VETA – Arusha (Njiro), Arusha University, AISE-Accelerating Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (who supported some of St Jude’s mechanical projects), Arusha University, Ngateu Secondary and Adili Secondary Schools appeared or were represented on the day.
We greatly appreciate and thank all involved.
There had to be something special happening at St Jude’s to lure our very first teacher back.
Australian volunteer Angela Bailey fondly remembers her first time living in the Arusha and volunteering at the school, so the chance to offer further support to some of the very same students she taught back in those early days was too good to pass up.
“It’s amazing, and I feel very privileged to be back here working with these kids, or young adults I should say, because they are amazing students. It has been fantastic walking through the grounds of the secondary school, getting big hugs and cool handshakes,” she said.
“I’m certainly very excited to be working with them and they seem to be very excited about it too.”
Thirteen years ago, the Sydney resident helped establish the St Jude’s, along with Gemma Sisia and Kim Saville, who have both remained at the school.
Angela became the first teacher at St Jude’s and spent three years with us, before spending the last decade working on various projects in Australia and Vietnam.
She had been back to the school to visit during that decade, but to be working here again is something rather special.
“The last time I was here was for the 10 years (anniversary), and before that it had been five years. That time I remember I was just walking around in tears, it was so emotional I could hardly even talk,” she said.
“There’s now three campuses when there was only one… more buses. More students, obviously. I notice the higher-educated teachers, through conversation with them. Moshono (village) has completely and utterly changed – there’s so many shops now, and a nightclub, a lot more people, a lot more traffic, lots of people moving to Moshono from town (Arusha)…”
Almost three years after her last visit, Angela heard murmurings of our community service and tertiary teams and knew it was the reason she would return.
She arrived at St Jude’s in early April to oversee the teams (pictured below), as part of the Beyond St Jude’s program.
Her responsibility is far from a walk in the park, with 59 of the 61 graduating students in the program volunteering to spend a year as teachers in Government-run schools before their university education begins. Angela said the hard work her excellent team had already put in was a great start.
“Gemma and I joke around - she has literally offered me so many jobs to come back over the years – and this, for me, was it. I am so passionate about the community service and I think it is such an amazing way for these kids to give back,” she said.
“There’s an opportunity to make even more of a difference here, as this education is going to spread even further, into the government schools, which I know are seriously lacking. This is why I’m so excited and passionate about this role in particular.”
Throughout the following two years she plans to spend here, Angela looks forward to seeing the success of the Beyond St Jude’s program and all the students involved.
“We’ll be giving them packages, to go out, so depending on the subjects they’re teaching they’ll have textbooks to take with them, resources, chalk, and everything they would need,” she explained.
“I hope we have a really good start on both the community service project and the tertiary. I’m hoping that by the time I leave it’s running well (of its own accord). We’re going to learn a lot in the first couple of years.”
Seven savvy and enthusiastic lower primary teachers have been chosen as English “champions” for St Jude’s lower and upper primary school.
The teachers all achieved a “good” mark for their use of English in the classroom, when evaluated by ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher Mel Lamus at the beginning of the year.
Lower primary headmaster George Stephen has officially named them English Ambassadors for the school.
“English is a second language in Tanzania and a medium of instruction at St Jude’s. Those facts make staff use it specifically for that purpose only, and not otherwise,” George said.
“The thought to have English ambassadors was to bring awareness to all staff that English is also a medium of communication at St Jude’s.”
The four achievable English categories range from Unsatisfactory and Some Improvement Needed, to Good and Outstanding.
Mel also noted the “good” level of English skills of four accomplished upper primary teachers, in both teaching in the classroom and supporting the students’ English language development.
“It is hoped that all of these teachers will act as role models of English for both students and colleagues,” she said.
“One of the teachers, Emmanuel, has twice already let me know of two different mobile phone apps that he uses for learning English and I have passed this on to all the teachers.”
English Ambassador and Lower Primary Librarian Isaka B. Silomba said he was proud to be given the title and found ESOL helpful in improving his English skills.
“It means a lot. Although it’s not our mother tongue, being able to speak it is good,” he said.
“Knowing English is one thing, but being able to speak it takes practice. Being in a school where you speak only English helps a lot to develop that ability. We learn from our ESOL teacher but also from the material we have. We read a lot from the UK, US, New Zealand and Australia. It’s something enjoyable.”
George said the response to the English Ambassadors idea has been positive, and everyone is looking forward to seeing how effective it will be.
“They will achieve the respect from their fellow staff and appreciation from school for being good models for other staff,” he said.
The ambassadors were awarded certificates for their efforts.
Mel is the third teacher to take part in the five years the ESOL program has run at St Jude’s. It is currently compulsory for all teachers, except the English Ambassadors, to attend.
“Commitment is the moment in life when you seize opportunities and use them to alter your life and destiny”.
Alex Elifas is a contemplative soul and his impending graduation in May is providing him cause to be even more reflective than usual. “St Jude’s has built a big part of my personality”, he says, “Who I am has been shaped by the school”.
Alex’s time at St Jude’s has been eventful. He’s a bright young man who was able to skip ahead two grades. In his senior years he left the school for one year so as to return to finish his schooling with the rest of the inaugural graduating class of 2015.
He is proud to be finishing with his class and cannot wait for the graduation celebrations. “I look forward to spending time and celebrating with my sponsors, friends and family”, he says.
However, despite the overall focus on the senior class, Alex has a more holistic view of his graduation and the influence it will have on the rest of the school. “I am trying to figure out how to have a positive impact on the other students. I want to inspire the younger ones”.
Alex’s time at St Jude’s has had a profound impact on his life. “St Jude’s made me dream differently. Without St Jude’s I couldn’t have the plans I have now. It has given me big dreams.”
Alex’s dreams are impressive. After graduation he will take part in the St Jude’s community service program. He looks forward to giving back by teaching at a local government school where his scientific knowledge can have a big impact in a region with a desperate shortage of maths and science teachers. He plans to learn French and the keyboard in his spare time.
His long term ambitions are to study electrical engineering with a focus on biomedical engineering. Alex wants to have a positive impact on his country through his chosen profession.
“There are currently no experts in the field of electronics and biomedics in Tanzania”, Alex says, “I will work on different projects to improve the country. I am looking forward to being in a position where I can support or sponsor projects in Tanzania that will have a positive impact on society”.
St Jude’s will always play an important part in Alex’s life and it is inspiring to hear him speak of his feelings for the school and his continued involvement.
“Thanks to St Jude’s I had an easy life, a life without struggle,” he says. “Because of St Jude’s I will be someone in the future.”
2014 was a big year for our Form 4 students. They spent it applying themselves to studies that ranged from history to chemistry to biology. Our students began the New Year with feelings of anticipation as they eagerly awaited their exam results to see if all of their hard work paid off. Finally, the results are here! And happily, the answer is a resounding “yes”!
Overall our 126 Form 4 students received stellar results, placing St Jude’s 3rd in the region and 24th in all of Tanzania. Over half of the students achieved a Distinction, the highest possible grade, and 99% of the class achieved a Merit (the second highest grade) or above.
The results indicate our students show particular aptitude for communication, with the class ranking 2nd in the region for Kiswahili. They are also budding scientists and historians, achieving a regional ranking of 2nd in Biology and 3rd in History.
These results are fantastic for all of our students and their teachers who have worked so hard to guide each of them throughout the year. The students are very proud of their achievements, deservedly so, and begin Form 5 with a renewed confidence and excitement for the year ahead.
