By Jet Stanley Madu
Focus is an essential ingredient to achieving excellence in every field of life endeavours including academics and sports. This was the fact demonstrated at this year’s first annual sports festival of Delightful Bunch School, Saw Mill, Gbagada, Lagos, held, recently, at the National Comprehensive College, Gbagada.
The various performances of participating Houses during the sports meet underscored why people need focus in whatever they find their hands doing. For instance, the match past by members of the PTA House saw the participants heading towards various directions, in seemingly uncoordinated manner, along the lines of the six geo-political regions of Nigeria.
But the converging of their seemingly awkward movements into something focused soon proved that they knew what they were doing. The school Proprietress, Mrs. Charity Ozokwelu, explained that the idea behind the choreography was to begin early to teach the pupils lessons on focus.
Defining focus as a point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converges, she pointed out that if at an early age students are taught to have their attention focused on particular topics or subject, they will always excel in their school and chosen endeavours.
She added that concentration helps an individual to think, discuss and deal with problems. Thus, when focused, students are able to deal with challenges in different subject areas, and in all aspects of their academics. “This way, they will have their minds and eyes set on being the best and on winning laurels.”
She asserted that lack of focus on the part of the nation’s leaders remains Nigeria’s biggest undoing. Members of the PTA House were drawn from each of the four Houses namely – Red, Blue, Yellow and Green. It was certain that the word ‘focus’ made no meaning to the little tots. They were not in the least bothered that their East, West, North and South awkward movements amused the cheering spectators. What mattered to them was that they loved their effort and were determined to get to their respective destinations.
It took the combined efforts of their House Masters/Mistresses and some sports officials to get them back on track. Earlier in her address, the school administrator, Mrs. Peace Awugosi, noted that the gains of sports are unquantifiable in human life. “It enhances fitness and an all-round development of the child.”
The sports fiesta was chaired by Mrs. Jovita Nwagbo, who stood in for her husband, Mr. Obinna Nwagbo. In her speech, she described sports as an essential part of school curricular, noting that, teaching and learning are incomplete without sporting activities. Sports, she said, “provides for the physical wellbeing of students, thus, ensuring an all-round physical and mental development.”
Pupils of lower and higher basics took part in various sports events such as egg race, sack race, 100, 200 relay races and legged race among others.
