By VENUS HONORE-GOPIE Friday, December 4 2009

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TASTE OF VICTORY: Members of the El Dorado East Secondary School pose with the Intercol title at the school compound yesterday. ...

AFTER weeks of bad publicity over a feud between some of its students and those from neighbouring El Dorado West Secondary School, which threatened to stigmatise both institutions as “trouble schools,” the El Dorado East Secondary School football team redeemed the school’s image by winning the Coca Cola National Intercol Schools title.

Victory was even sweeter as the footballers and their schoolmates had to deal with the pressures of studies and also the palpable tension between both schools.

But the stress of the past few weeks turned to celebration and satisfaction as the Blue Thunder as the football team is known ran away with the intercol crown. Football coach Trevor Spicer said the team wanted to uplift the spirit of students at the school.

“The team itself wanted to do well because we were getting too much bad publicity. We wanted to uplift the school spirit overall, which we did. It was a case of redemption,” Spicer said.

John Henry, assistant coach said the victory had brought back camaraderie between students and teachers at the schools.

Spicer said many students were given the opportunity to take the initiative in getting lunches prepared for the players, organising meetings and sourcing t-shirts for players and officials rather than leave it solely up to him.

Khavior Graham, 18, captain of the team said he would advise his team-mates to always try their best while on the field and to be ambassadors for the school. He said they would be encouraged to play for their team-mates and not for themselves. The school also copped this year’s National Cricket league.

Laloo Hart, vice principal, said the young footballers’ victory instilled much needed pride and self belief among students. He said the goal of the school was to ensure that when students completed their time at the institution, “they must leave here feeling proud. They came here to El Dorado East and they must be proud of attending this school,” Hart said.

Hart thanked the Ministry of Education, police officers and school district supervisors for supporting them throughout the past weeks especially when some students engaged in fighting with students from El Do West. The clashes led to beefing up of security at both schools and the changing of the school hours to minimise students from the schools meeting each other while to and from classes.

Ex-students of the school, including national cricket all-rounder Rayad Emrit, Roger Roach director of Langston Roach Industries Limited, Anievia Baksh, a guidance officer, Ria Mohammed who is an attorney and 2005 National Scholarship winner Neshan Singh visited the school yesterday to reinforce positive values to the students.