Times of the Islands Summer 2016

feature
DAVID O’CONNELL
Opposite page: The Science Lab at The International School at Leeward is a bright, well-equipped place to learn.
Above: Students at Precious Treasures International School proudly display the TCI National Costume.
The In-Between Years
A look at middle schooling in Providenciales.
By Kathy Borsuk
I remember my pre-teen and early adolescent years with a cringe. I was chubby, socially awkward, and
sported bangs (fringe) that were perpetually crooked, ugly tortoiseshell glasses, and clothes that were
always too small and out of style. In the public school system in my small town in the US, students
attended “elementary school” from kindergarten to grade 6, then automatically attended “junior high”
(grade 7 and 8), followed by “high school” for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years (grades 9,
10, 11, and 12). My transition to the large junior high where we were bussed did not go smoothly and
were among the worse years of my life.
So when our Advertising Manager Claire Parrish told me I should write a story about the middle school
situation in Providenciales, I didn’t know where to begin. I have no children and was totally unfamiliar
with the island’s school system. Claire’s son Will had just entered grade 7, so she was able to explain
firsthand the dilemma that exists.
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