School Fight Leads To Staff Injuries
Earlier today [May 12], a fight broke out at CedarBridge Academy between students and resulted in three students being withdrawn from school and two staff members visiting the hospital.
Statements from Principal Mrs. Kalmar Richards and school board Chairman Mr. Larry Mussenden follow below.
Statement From Principal Mrs. Kalmar Richards:
“At the end of the lunch period today, a fight broke out between two male students. Several other male students joined in. Staff on hand intervened to break up the fight.
As part of our established safety procedures, we ensured that all students returned to class safely and were accounted for. The class schedule resumed as normal. Students were dismissed without incident at the end of the school day.
Unfortunately two male staff who had intervened and sustained injuries were advised to report to the hospital to have their injuries checked. One returned to school at the end of the day and the other was about to be released when we checked on his condition.
Students who were involved in this incident have been issued consequences as per the CedarBridge Academy Code of Conduct. As a result of the disciplinary measures, three students were immediately withdrawn from the school and will no longer attend CedarBridge Academy.
We believe that for situations such as this we must act swiftly and issue the maximum consequences to students. The safety and well being of our students and staff continues to be of paramount priority to the CedarBridge Academy family”.
Statement From Chairman Mr. Larry Mussenden:
“Chairman Mussenden commended the principal and staff for taking immediate action to bring the matter to an end. On behalf of the board he expressed his concern for the staff who required medical attention.
He reinforced the fact that CedarBridge Academy has a strict stance on fighting and reminded pupils and parents that any such breaches would be dealt with immediately and could result in expulsion from the school.
Mr. Mussenden was confident that CedarBridge Academy remains an excellent institution of learning with wonderful teachers and staff and then encouraged all of the pupils to focus on their upcoming exams and career goals”.
It remains unfortunate that these types of incidents still occur in our schools and get such heightened press. The reality is that such behaviour does not represent most of our school children, who are doing very well in school. I hope the other students are able to remain focussed on getting decent grades since a good education remains as the best method for personal success in life.
To Ms. Richards and the Cedarbridge faculty, parents and student body – keep up the good work – the community is supporting you!!
The safety and well being of our students and staff continues to be of paramount priority to the CedarBridge Academy family”.
Shouldn’t the educating and training , preperation and grooming ,nuturing and instilling good working relations with the outside world be of paramount priority ? Hire Clarence Hill and Troy Darrell to teach boxing and street fighting skills .
I second that, what else are we as parents suppose to do, run from our island as others have out of fear, or stand up and do something about this crap! Now we need to teach our children to defend themselves, that use to be an extra, now that needs to be a basic for parents.
yea it should but with the way things are going right now, especially in the outside community, safety is tops on the list as well. what i want to know is where was the security?
WE NEED THE CAT AND NINE TALE FOR THEM DO NOT LET THEM BACK IN CEADARBRIDGE MS. RICHARDS!!!!
I am wondering – and bernews perhaps you may be able to answer this for me – does this fight have anything to do with armed police officers at the bus terminal in hamilton yesterday around 4:30pm handcuffing young men in Cedarbridge uniforms?
No, that was the extra-curricular “Life Skills” club.
I find it very interesting that Bernews and the RG will publish the negative things but they never cover the good work that the kids do at CBA the same day they had an Honours Assembly for the kids that do well..they also have the Mr.&Miss CBA Pagenat every year as well as a great fundraising fashion show.
CBA is a great school has great teachers and students..
Go CBA
With all due respect, your statement that we “publish the negative things but they never cover the good work” is not accurate. You may be new and have missed some of our past stories? The last time we posted a positive story about CedarBridge was only 12 hours ago. There are 10 links to positive stories from CedarBridge below [and we have far more than this and hope to get many more]
Videos of their 100 Women event:
http://bernews.com/2011/05/cedarbridge-celebrates-100-women-on-campus/
Career Day:
http://bernews.com/2011/04/students-spend-career-day-at-hotel/
Teenager Commentators:
http://bernews.com/2011/04/teenagers-speak-on-commentating-debut/
Video of CedarBridge Students performing in Florida:
http://bernews.com/2011/04/video-cedarbridge-musicians-disney-debut/
About their musicians:
http://bernews.com/2011/03/cedarbridge-musicians-to-perform-at-disney-world/
Videos of the String Ensemble:
http://bernews.com/2010/12/videos-cedarbridge-string-ensemble/
Photo gallery of their school play:
http://bernews.com/2010/12/photos-cedarbridge-christmas-school-play/
Photos & videos of their football finals:
http://bernews.com/2010/12/photos-cedarbridge-vs-saltus-football-finals/
http://bernews.com/2010/12/videos-cedarbridge-vs-saltus-football-finals/
Scholarship winner:
http://bernews.com/2010/06/outstanding-students-awarded-1500-each/
Go Bernews!! Do your thing!! People only see what they wanna see!!
Agreed!
Clearly They are not paying attention to the awesomeness of the Bernews reporters!!!
Are you serious?! My first question is, why is it not Cedarbridge Policy for them to inform parents via email or whatever, that these things are happening while OUR children are in your care. My son came home and told me of the horror that went down yesterday and I just had chills. What would you have told parents if one of OUR innocent bystanders was injured or worst. Sort yourselves out Cedarbridge, alot of parents have had enough, no you can’t control these things from happening but I feel that parents should have been notified that the school was on lockdown and in distress. Second, you are aware of these “GANGS” at the school, what steps are you taken to rid them of our school. Funny, you were trying to send my son to TEC for having more than 3 DR(s), that weren’t even behaviour related and these “animals” are STILL at Cedarbridge! Tidy up!!!
I congratulate Mrs. Richards for giving out such quick justice.
Cedarbridg is a great school, has always been and always will! Mrs. Richards is doing a great job… Why is it that whenever an incident happens a CBA they’re quick to put it in the news!!??? yet when incidents happen at Berkeley, Saltus, warwick academy etc. we dont hear about it!! it has been like this for years and i think its quite un fair… cedarbridge is a GREAT school with a marvelous head master that is doing her Job! keep it up!
De Gal,
You say that “when incidents happen at Berkeley, Saltus, warwick academy (sic) we don’t hear about it”.
I know quite a lot about one of those schools, and can tell you the reason these types of things are not reported, is because they don’t happen.
You can shoot the messenger if you want to I guess, but a pupil fight where teachers end up in hospital is unusually disgusting behavior. That is the reason it gets into the news.
“De Gal…..: I totally agree with you..Not to long ago (about a month or so) Berkeley was on lockdown because of a fight and this I am made to understand happens often..Let’s not talk about the drug dogs visits @ the private schools.(PS. they don’t often leave empty handed). Cedarbridge IS a GREAT school let’s not be dissuaded from that…Fights tend to happen this is not the first fight at any school nor will it be the last..all those on here that are name calling and the like, can you honestly say there never was a fight at school during your school years? I am just greatful for the quick action of the staff in bringing things to order….
Never a fight during my school years!!!
Obviously your short-term memory prevents you from remembering the 6 or 8 students who recently were expelled from Saltus for overbearing birthday punches.
Or maybe you forgot about the Berkeley student who was stabbed on school property that was splashed all over the media.
Yes I am aware of those incidents and yes I remember them clearly so nothing wrong with my memory..What YOU don’t know and what I am privy to is the fact that there are MANY MORE incidents than what are reported..But never the less I am not about to get in a Bernews debate on whose right, whose wrong, whose memory is short or long..At the end of the day a resolution was reached and it’s obvious that not are all pleased with the consequence and THAT should be the focal point of todays discussion….
Great school…??? Really??? Tell me how did this “Great School” over look the fact a young man was skipping school for 4 weeks and not once called the parents?!?!? I am that child’s parent – but i got his number!! Removed him from CedarBridge and put him in an alternate school – were he graduated (at 16yo) with second top honors! He is now in Bda College! This with no help from the “Great School” but from his loving and carin parent!!
Was the wool over your eyes so thick that you, “the parent” didn’t recognize that YOUR son was missing school for 4 weeks????? Before being so quick to lay blame on the school think about how your son got to this point! I’m so tired of parents so quick to lay blame on the school when the problem began when this student decided not to show up. Look at the difference between your child who decided to skip school and the others who chose to go to class and then cast judgement! BTW kudos for making sure he continued and obtained his degree!
That’s what I was thinking…where were you momma when YOUR son was skipping school
Did this spark the disturbance at the Bus Terminal yesterday?? That was quite a scene!!
no it did not theese were to very diferent incidents involving different people no relation between the two
OMG…somebody help me here!!! Okay the answer is to take the trouble makers and throw them into the streets….thus creating more chaos in the streets…yup just go kill each other as long as my child is safe….guess what folks none of us are safe…unless we get a program that will help to save and rehabilitate our children we are in bad shape!! Making an effort to save your child and your child alone is not the answer and will not keep them safe….these so called gangs live in our neighborhoods, ride the bus, go the the grocery store, sit in the park…WTH…ya they live in this little community as well!!! We Bermudians sit out for teachers raises, pay cuts for MP etc…when the hell are we going to sit out for a serious change in our educational structure?????? HELLER something just not right…The government won their second term mainly on promising a change in the education structure and have to date done nothing and to date we continuing to have fights at schools instead of learning. Schools have always had trouble makers and they were made to attend the school(s)that catered to these special needs…looks like we need Boot Camp these days…but whatever works! However we think that if we just kick students out of school into the streets this will save us….REALLY???????
They are not kicked on the streets!! There are alternate schools!! Have you not heard of Tech? And maybe – just maybe some parents will open their eyes to what their children are all about and spend quality time and/or seek help!!
Perhaps getting thrown out of school will teach these fools a lesson. Anything else would have been treating them like spoilt bus drivers – giving them what they want until there’s no more to give. Then there’d be real trouble.
Most of all I’m glad Bernews has seen the sense to return to the previous method of commenting – instead of that stupid shite new one they tried out for a few days until it drove everyone totally mad.
Thanks, for the Tech info…I guess this will be an option for these young men…hope it is in fact mandatory. Well, lets not forget the children that may not have stable parents or any parents all, I know in the perfect world everything is as you see it or should I say, want to see it…maybe we should do a documentary on the CBA/Berkeley students that were kicked out or dropped
out….We can call it “Where Are They Now”….wonder how many of them are in the streets and how many truly come from an unstable background. Maybe it is time for people to offer “help”!!!!!
I thought gov was closing TEC in the very near future.
I am up for the bootcamp idea! They can learn discipline, get educated, have food on the table, and a bed at night! It should be like a boarding school – We have Warwick Camp……that is a perfect location. Full time soldiers can train them and full-time teachers can be hired…..That might provide a solution to a lot of the troubles we are facing. Give the “troubled kids” from troubled back ground a purpose and an opportunity!
That would be much better money spent than the farce that is the Bermuda Regiment. For $8.3 Million dollars a year they could be actively working with people young enough to have a difference made in their lives as opposed to wasting it forcing some 100+ males into 2 weeks of “training”. This would even allow those individuals who get some sort of pleasure out of dressing up like toy soldiers something to do.
The boys involved in both incidents yesterday have amazing talent that they are waisting away. For this they should be ashamed and the parents must be at a loss for words and answers…..
its funny how berkley never makes the news.
this past school year they’ve had huge riots and countless indivdual fights… the security even foughts some students…
hmmm.. something to think about
It is very unfortunate how some of the public eye may look at my school. But I can guarantee you that Cedarbridge Academy is one of the Best schools on the island. Believe it or not, we are just as tired as the rest of our community is. There are some situations we are able to talk our peers out of, and some we just cant control. The students at Cedarbridge have been working so very hard to keep our school in the positive light, it upsets us when we see/hear Cedarbridge being talked about so negatively. Its just that; with what is going with our island these days. We as the youth are either going through more or just as much as the rest of the adults on the island, so stop comparing back then with now…
So yes, this needs to be resolved. But stop rushing it; cause when you do a rushed job, it comes out worse then it already was…
I agree totally, as I have a son((25) and nephew(25), both overseas in university(PE teacher and motor mechanic(diesel). And, also, a niece(24) who is now in her early days of her specialised medical field of neo-natology(pre-mature baby dr). All attended Cedarbridge. Their grades were more than enough to qualify with out attending Bermuda College. So keep up the positive thinking and you all will succeed.
Now What
Its not enough just throw these boys out of school. These are the boys we need to keep an eye on. These are the boys we need to get a hold of (parents as well) and have mandantory programme where they can get assistance with their bahaviour problems, self esteem, schooling etc. This is a better alternative then having these boys (who will be man) on the streets, angry and with to much time on their hands.
Good Job Principal…. What next ?
You have done your part and i agree whole heartedly with you, but now Social Services(or whoever), should be following up on those boys so that they can be put on some program and not just left idle. I am sure they won’t be accepted in another school (unless someone gets paid), so they need to be monitored.
Also on a lighter note, Cedarbridge needs to get a high powered hose. Wet them down next time. That would surely stop the fight. They would not want to get their expensive shoes wet.
Give the teachers tasers I say!