The Ministry of Education recognised an act of kindness by Form Five student, Teja Loutoo, who gave bristol board hearts with words of hope, love and inspiration to bring happiness to the students and staff at the Providence Catholic School.
Ms. Loutoo exemplifies the kind of holistically educated student that is imbued with a sense of responsibility to assist their fellow students to improve their lives, which is a core curriculum policy of the Ministry of Education.
A tragic incident in 2017 galvanised the 16-year-old student into taking action to lift the sense of sadness among the school population at the time.
“It started last year,” she explained, “it was around the time when a lady was killed by Movietowne, her throat was slit and there was fear going around the school about people wanting to go there and having apprehensions going there because of it. So, I decided to, as an act of kindness, ease everybody’s worries, to make Valentine’s hearts because Valentine’s Day was coming up, with quotes of messages of positivity to give to the whole school so that they wouldn’t feel scared,” she said.
She also believes her actions have helped her fellow students who sometimes have to deal with problems in their homes and peer pressure by making them feel good about themselves. “I just wanted to have everybody just feel positive and to have light in their lives. I’m just glad to see everybody’s face light up when they read it and it’s nice to see that little ray of sunshine around the school,” she added.
The Form Five student is now considering a career as a human rights activist to change the culture of societal violence and replace it with a consciousness of peace.
Providence Catholic School’s Vice-Principal Krisal Gorin expressed her admiration for Ms. Loutoo for being an exemplar to the school population and for having the courage to make a positive difference in the lives of her fellow human beings. “It was very heartwarming because you hear about a lot of negativity in schools, so to think that at our school or at schools, you have students who would not just say I’ll be quiet but, I would do something to show people that I could make a difference and that you could reach out to someone else and have a positive impact,” she said.
The Ministry of Education celebrates and encourages initiatives such as these while highlighting the positive fruits of our education system.