On Wednesday, September 3rd 2025, the Teachers’ Resource Centre was buzzing with new beginnings as the Anguilla Community College (ACC) welcomed its incoming students for the 2025–2026 academic year. They included students in the Sixth Form CAPE programme, ACC Associate Degree programmes in Business Studies and Technology and Media, and others undertaking the Nursing Assistant Certificate Programme, and BTEC Construction Studies.
Students, parents, faculty, and staff gathered for what was not just an orientation, but also a launch into a new chapter—complete with encouragement, laughter, and even a few reality checks.
The evening’s first major welcome came from Mrs. Charmaine Rey-Richardson, Coordinator of the Division of Adult and Continuing Education. With frankness, she reminded students that higher learning is a test of both endurance and independence. Borrowing a Jamaican saying, she quipped: “If you want good, ears, nose, mouths, wherever has an open, will run.” Translation? Expect to sweat a little — it’s proof that you’re progressing.
Dr. Jacqueline Austin, ACC’s President, echoed the sentiment. She challenged students to embrace the shift from high school to college life. “You’re no longer in high school, so don’t expect to be spoon-fed. Independent study, self-motivation, and dedication are the keys here. Sometimes you will feel like you’re failing. But don’t give up—you have it within you to be successful.”
Orientation wasn’t all pep talks. Mrs. Rey-Richardson took students through the academic calendar, starting with the official start of classes on Monday, September 8th. She underlined crucial dates — grade submissions on October 20th, the drop/add period on October 13th –14th, and midterm break from October 21st–24th. She also touched on the practical side of student life, reminding Sixth Formers that while ACC oversees the programme, most of their classes take place at Campus Q — so the campus’s rules on hairstyles, jewellery, phones and free time apply. And yes, dress codes matter. Each Division has its own colour-coded polo shirt—gold for Hospitality, orange for Business, blue for Education, red for Construction, black for Technology, and green for Nursing—with all Sixth Formers donning blue T-shirts on Thursdays and Fridays. Hospitality students, meanwhile, will don their full chef’s gear for practicals. Personal accountability, punctuality, and well-groomed appearances were emphasised as much as academics.
Dean of Studies, Dr. Michelle Queeley, brought the room to life with a simple energizing exercise: engaging students in delivering high-fives all around while echoing the words, “We are in this together! She congratulated students on their exam successes while cautioning them that the road ahead require discipline, punctuality, and responsibility. She indicated her pleasure at seeing such a positive show of numbers and acknowledged those parents who came out to support not only their children, but also the ACC.
Dr. Queeley took the time to alert students of their roles and responsibilities, drawing on ACC’s core values and processes and procedures outlined in the Students’ Handbook. Among other things, she urged students not to “slap their parents in the face” by wasting time and money through absenteeism, and reminded them that attending class is only half the battle — participation, good study habits, and contributing fairly in group projects are just as important. “You are what I would refer to as semi-adults,” she said, highlighting that the responsibility of tertiary education lies squarely in their hands.
On technology, she cautioned, “Be careful about the digital footprint that you leave,” urging students to avoid plagiarism and late-night social media binges. Her closing advice was simple but vital: “Take care of you. Take care of your business at ACC. Be respectful. And once you do that, you are off to a good start.”
If anyone thought orientation would be a string of stern lectures, Counsellor Mrs. Anita Ruan shook things up. Instead of listing rules, she laid out “how to fail Sixth Form”—with humour, sarcasm, and blunt honesty.
Her list included skipping classes during free periods, letting social media swallow study time, quitting when things get tough and letting A.I. do all their work. But beneath the jokes was a serious message: arrogance and complacency won’t carry students through. College is a fresh start, and the credits earned can shave time off future university study, “Sixth Form is a waste of time if you come Sixth Form and waste your time.”
Registrar, Dr. Jacqueline Peters-Richardson, brought clarity to the table. Many believe ACC’s Sixth Form is all about CAPE, but she stressed that other programmes—from business to nursing—are equally valuable and internationally recognised. She explained key differences between high school and tertiary education: no report cards, only transcripts; GPA based on in-class performance, not CAPE results; and the importance of passing every single course in order to graduate.
Practical updates followed: timetables (emailed to students’ new ACC accounts), a mandatory online training session, ID cards due by September 15th, and gift bags for full-time students—a little reward, perhaps, before the heavy lifting begins.
Rounding out the orientation, Mr. Orville Jamieson left students with advice that was both simple and profound: ask questions. “If you keep telling yourself you can’t, you won’t. Never be afraid to ask questions.”
The orientation painted a clear picture of life as a college student: independence, responsibility, structure, and no small amount of pressure. But it also set a tone of encouragement and community.
Classes officially begin on Monday, 8th September 2025.
By Janissa Fleming