The name of Bermuda's first senior secondary school is expected to be released this week.

While the school's interim board have remained tightlipped over it, the name -- which will be announced a Press conference on Thursday -- is believed to have been the board's selection and not in honour of any particular person.

Meanwhile, principal of the school Ernest Payette told The Royal Gazette the name was not as important as the reputation that will be attached to it.

And he stressed that he was determined to have the school develop a reputable reputation.

The use of violence, drugs, and unruly conduct will not be tolerated, he said, adding that preventive measures rather than draconian ones will be implemented.

However, while issues of security at the school were still being discussed.

Mr. Payette made it clear that he did not believe metal detectors would be necessary.

"I've never been in a school that has ever had metal detectors or security cameras,'' said the former principal of Trenton High School, in Belleville, Ontario which caters to some 1,200 students annually.

"At this point in time no decisions have been made regarding the security systems and what they will look like. We have to see what is available and what is reasonable, given the clientele that we serve.'' "Despite some recent incidents, I don't believe Bermuda to be a violent community,'' he added, estimating that 90 percent of young people do not condone violence. However, Mr. Payette said the school will need to be made secure against outsiders.

He noted that Trenton High School, which had a problem of transients trespassing through the school, addressed it by introducing a safe schools policy a few years before it came en vogue in Ontario.

New policies hoped for senior school The policy included creating visitor passes, posting signs at the entrance doors warning trespassers, and having teachers and students conduct walk-abouts. He said a similar policy could be introduced at the school at Prospect.

Mr. Payette stressed that he wanted the new school to become known as a school which provided equal opportunity for all students.

The veteran Canadian educator also stressed that the school at Prospect should have a good reputation of high performances in all areas and of preparing students to be successful at university and/or in the job market.

He said the school should have good academic programmes with a high level of standards in place.

From there, Mr. Payette noted, support programmes which can help weaker students and address social problems can be built in.

Extra curricula activities, focusing on athletics and the arts, will also be established.

He said: "The first year has to be a broad-based opportunity where students have access to sound academics, but also have experiences in the arts, business and technology.

"In Senior School year two, we can narrow the focus a little, but still try to have a fair range because that is the year students will begin to make decisions about the areas of study they will focus on.

"In Senior School years three and four, students should be goal-oriented and select programmes that will allow them to do what they want to do after school.

"We can't prepare them for work totally. The goal of the school is to provide them with the academic background required to move into whatever occupation they choose and be successful.'' But Mr. Payette pointed out that the new school could not be successful without the support of the community.

He noted that Trenton High School was not only a composite school with students of diverse backgrounds and needs, but "well used'' by the community.

The school had about 900 full-time students between the ages of 14 and 18; some 100 part-time students between the ages of 18 and 20, and annually had 200 to 300 adults who were trying to earn their high school diploma.

Mr. Payette, who worked there for eight years, said the community was also part of the stimulus behind some of the changes which took place when he arrived at the school.

The other stimulus was the economy of that area which was in a downturn at the time.

"In the mid to late eighties we lost because we had been traditional and had traditional factories and they were being phased out and there was nothing to replace them,'' he said. "So part of the mandate of the school was to improve the educational format that would make it more appropriate for what these kids would eventually be doing.'' Mr. Payette said he believed the school at Prospect -- which he described as "well designed'' and in an ideal location -- will also meet the needs of the community by providing unprecedented op "When you create a large composite school of that nature with the facilities that school has, you can't help but offer more things,'' he said. "So the breadth of programme available to students will be significantly different. The facilities should allow students who are very knowledgeable in the arts, but at the same time deal with current technology.

"In terms of preparing students for universities and colleges, you can't help but provide them with a better opportunity than they would have had from a smaller school.'' He conceded that such plans will take time. But he said he only hoped that "people will give the school sometime to be successful''.