NATASHA'S CHRONICLES : Taking pride in my school, Riviera…

Many people know Riviera in many different ways. To some, it’s a good school in Kabuga, it’s a school headed by an Englishman named ‘Cooke’, it’s an English medium school, and to others, it’s just another school! Well, all these assumptions are innocent depending on a person, but for the sake of enlightening you, I decided to take you through the reality of this ‘school on the hilltop’. The environment: Find a way of finding out for yourself the immense beauty and spotlessness of Rivera’s general environment and if that’s not possible, then do ask around for one might think I’m only giving the patriotic speech. Just like any organized institution, there are rules to follow and you can always be sure that even those who have ‘never had to follow anyone’s rules’ as they say, will somehow submit, hence the nick-name ‘Guantanamo Bay’ for all strict boarding schools in the city. (At least the exaggeration is visible). Hilarious, isn’t it? But what would Riviera, or any other school, be without rules strictly being followed? In my view, nothing! There’s also a common belief around the city against the ‘rich kids’; people speak against students from expensive schools like Riviera for being unfriendly and proud. Well, I must agree it exists and definitely not only among the privileged kids (so I’d like to call them). However, now is when I really thank God I’ve witnessed both sides of boarding school life and now I can say that you really find good friends and people at schools like Riviera. It’s a small community, where almost everyone knows everyone. What I appreciate most is that unlike many schools I know, everyone has got the platform to be themselves, develop themselves and prove themselves. All are welcome and will find a place as long as they’re willing to embrace the new society. The teachers too, a selection of mentors, disciplinarians, tutors and you will find friends among them too! Obviously, no one expects to find a perfect lot of teachers to suit them, especially in schools. Rather, since I started with the school and judging by the good performance we have all witnessed over the last two years of national competition, the teaching staff is quite remarkable! By the way, for those who thought it’s like some ‘heaven’ as some actually did, Riviera is just like any other school community, you will sure get ‘the gossip of the week’, one rumor after another, some indiscipline cases as well as know the sports stars, academic celebrities, even the most good-looking students in the school! For us, who are at Riviera, it’s a place that means and includes real value addition. The author is a student at Riviera High School hozatash@yahoo.com