education reform to help build a public school system that will benefit all students.

Speaking at the school's prize-giving last week, Mr. Butler highlighted goals and activities that were achieved under his leadership.

He said St. George's Secondary students and staff had succeeded despite having students of various abilities.

"In Bermuda we put all the top students in two main schools and then marvel at how well the students do,'' Mr. Butler said. "Of course they should do well.

"We aspire with every child, regardless of ability, to develop their potential.

"Our journey is made 10 times harder because we have to play catch up, yet we are still able to develop a feeling of success within the school that is marvelled at outside of Bermuda.'' Mr. Butler said when he visited England, educators "were amazed at the numerous things'' that his school had accomplished.

"They were amazed at the programmes being offered, the way staff are rewarded and the numerous notes sent to parents,'' he said.

"I found that incredible. I had just spent a year being constantly told that everything was either wrong, nearly wrong or going to be wrong.

"But to the ears of others they were impressed, asked for copies of our programme and reward schemes. Why? Because they wanted to improve.'' But Mr. Butler said the number one problem with Bermuda's education system was that some wanted to "take the rocks and throw them at each other'' rather than "take the rocks and build''.

"If we are to be successful we must all take our rocks and build,'' he said.

"If we have rocks that we don't want then we should leave them in our own backyards.

"Bermuda is about to make a major journey along the middle school road. This journey will require fully qualified people. It will require each student, teacher, and parent to carry their own rocks.

"If we do that, we will make it to the end of the race. But if we continue to throw the rocks we will make the journey a bumpy one for ourselves and an impossible one for those who are behind us.'' Mr. Butler said it was obvious that students would need more than the Bermuda Secondary School Certificate in order to secure jobs in Bermuda.

"So help us to help your children,'' he said. "Let's continue to encourage them to carry their own rocks.

"I challenge you to carry your own rocks to the finish line and stop using them to crash other people's dreams.

"I challenge the critics who are good at analysing elite schools but offer little for the rest. I challenge them to help us build a first class education that will benefit all of our children and not just some.'' Mr. Butler said in America a good school is one that can challenge a wide variety of abilities.

"In September, 1993, we will become a comprehensive school ready to address a cross section of abilities,'' he said. "It is obvious that we have the ability to meet the needs of all who enter.''