Chase’s Academy is becoming a breeding ground for students to excel in academics and multiple sporting disciplines.
The reason? According to principal of the institution, Sir Henry Chase: “Research has proven that sports will not only enhance education, but will enhance the child.”
This year was a coming out party of sorts for some of the students of Chase’s Academy in and out the classroom.
Chase’s Academy had five student athletes represent Guyana at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada during the annual Easter Weekend fixture.
The school football unit captained by Jeremy Garrett who also competed at CARIFTA, captured the coveted Digicel School’s Football Championship while Kaysan Ninvalle wrote his name in the Caribbean Table Tennis history book when he won the boys’ 11 years and under singles title last month in Jamaica at the Caribbean pre-cadet and cadet Championships.
Immediately upon his return, Chase granted the star racquet wielder a five-year scholarship for his exploits.
“I want parents to know that there has to be a balance,” Chase pointed out. “My son Oronde is a cricketer for DCC but he wrote CXC English this year at the age of 14 and passed with a Grade 1.”
Chase opined that sports enables children to have a longer attention span and that “There are a lot of benefits that comes with it, they are healthier and they become more competitive and mentally and physically tougher.” Garrett, who is also a central midfielder with the Fruta Conquerors, is currently studying to sit the SAT exams. This comes on the heels of the the 16-year-old passing eight subjects at the CSEC examinations earlier this year.
“We have a good culture here,” Chase said of the school which was established in 2007 with just seven students. Fast forward nine years later, Chase’s Academy has an enrollment of 275 students.
“We have an 82.5% pass mark in CSEC and 93% for CAPE, but what I am very proud of is how these students are not only excelling in the classroom but in the various disciplines they compete in,” Chase added.
Caption Jeremy Garret, Oronde Chase and Sir Henry Chase pose for a photo. In the foreground is the coveted Digicel School’s Football Championship trophy.
