SHAQUILLE SEALY, Keon Belgrave and Raheem Griffith are “bros for life”, reaping academic success at St Leonard’s Boys’ while enjoying their love for music.
Bros For Life was conceptualised after the three joined the St Leonard’s Boys’ 100 Voice Choir infirst form. But a love for music and a fast friendship were not the only things the three discovered in their three years at the Richmond Gap, St Michael institution – last term the three third formers created history at the school when they secured grade II in CXC Spanish, with grade A profiles in both the written and conversational components.
Shaquille recalled that they became friends after a camp at the school, and when they found they each had an affinity for the foreign language it was almost an invitation for competition and a recipe for friendship amongst them.
Shaquille said he found the language fun and their teacher Andrew Lokey kept them interested.
In fact, he has so taken to Spanish that he wants to visit as many Spanish-speaking countries as he can manage. It was a love fuelled as well by the Spanish group’s recent trip to Margarita, where he said he was able to improve on his oral skills.
He admitted to holding off on other sports to concentrate on Spanish and music.
“I like to sing a lot and my friends, Raheem and Keon, we made up a music group called Bros For Life. We haven’t performed as yet, but we have been practising,” said the young aspiring singer or doctor – he hasn’t quite decided which yet.
His friend Keon believes Spanish can only help him in his dream of becoming a pilot.
“When I was in first form Mr Lokey told me that my level of Spanish at that early age was good, very good and he said he would put me to do the exam in third form, which he did with Raheem and Shaquille,” recalled Keon.
His CXC result, Raheem said, came as bit of a surprise because he actually thought he did not do as well in the written section, but it seemed all the extra work paid off.
He said it was his family that got him interested in music at the school. When he passed for St Leonard’s Boys’, he said it was not a happy occasion because he had only heard the negatives about the school, but that soon changed with involvement in the choir, in Spanish and two friends to keep him pushing to excel.
“If I had gone to another school I would not be how I am now. Right now I am coming second and third, but I still can’t manage to beat Shaquille at all,” said Raheem, confessing this would be his next aim when the three hit Class 4L in the coming school term. (Green Bananas Media)