The Alexandra I know

By Antoinette Connell | Tue, January 17, 2012 - 12:00 AM

THAT FIRST DAY of secondary school for me and several others on the bus carving its way to the rural school had a special feeling.

As we alighted from the bus and joined the throng entering the Alexandra School – the magnificence of the turquoise uniform reflecting in the brilliant sunshine – notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out (at least to me it did).

I’d long held a fascination for the school, having seen students in the distinctive uniform emblazoned on the cover of the Integrated Science book.

It was here friendships were forged and we were nurtured from wide-eyed, panicked children into disciplined young people. If not carefully handled, the latter process could end disastrously for individuals and society.

Conflict, at any level, was handled with the discretionary “Please come to my office”. There was nothing to be gained from our potential leaders seeing the adults behaving in an unseemly fashion.

And there were leaders in my time as I remember a neat and tidy and studious Pamela Beckles with sister, Beverley, in the hallways of the Alexandra School. Who could have known that this was the Chief Magistrate in grooming.

Her demeanour was similar to that of former Senator Patricia Inniss, who also had a sibling there. Inniss leaned towards the science subjects, as I recalled, but has included politics in her career.

Then there was Michelle Waithe, tall, with an air about her, she glided across the school compound. She remains one of the most popular winners of the Miss Barbados contest.

That the precocious past student Carol Martindale chose the route of journalism was not surprising but her dreams were encouraged at school. The former SUNDAY SUN Editor, now Online Editor, determines what information we’ll be exposed to daily.

I can’t recall the pint-size Rhonda Blackman being that spunky at school. The tenacious Rhonda, former president of the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations, led the charge when she felt the health of teachers and students at the former Louis Lynch Secondary School was threatened.

Who knows how an indifferent approach might have swayed an impressionable mind and today neither the school nor the country would be celebrating the achievements of international cricketers Corey Collymore, Kemar Roach and Kirk Edwards’ or that of national football goalie Omari Eastmond.

But there are other subtle values, as in having the “seniors” look after the younger ones.

One day while at the bus-stop a flustered woman approached with a smiling, tiny first-former and asked me to ensure she got to school safely.

I asked the girl her name and never knew a name was so long. Smiling she responded, “Julia Phillips and . . . .” We disembarked the bus 30 minutes later and I deposited her with the other newbies, still talking.

At lunch-time we talked some more and later she found me for the return trip home. When we got off the bus that evening she was still gushing.

Throughout school life Julia always greeted me by extending my name and hugging me. If she had any problems she was to find me. One day in tears she said she had lost her badge. To her it was worst the thing, so I gave her mine.

A couple of years rolled by and though I left school Julia made her way to my home on evenings and I walked her home. When her baby sister Kimberly came along we included her on our walks.

But then life intervened. I was engrossed in work and Julia with her studies and it didn’t take long before we were seeing each other in the distance. We ran into each other a couple of times but never long enough to settle into conversation and soon we lost contact.

Then two weeks ago on the cusp of the old year giving way to the new year when Auld Lang Syne was still relevant, I got a call from the lobby. I pushed the door and I heard that familiar “Antoinette” and for a moment I returned to the innocence of Alexandra School and Julia, standing before me, was my little charge.

We hugged and laughed. She happened to be in the area and could not leave without seeing me. We gave hurried accounts of our lives.

She would never forget, Julia told me, the kindness shown to her at the beginning of her school life.

I was just passing on what was shown to me, I told her.

There was marked gratitude in her face.

Sadly, life intervened again; Julia had to go and I had to get back to work.

AX students remember to pass it on.

• Antoinette Connell is Daily Nation Editor at The Nation. She can be reached at antoinetteconnell@nationnews.com.

Share your thoughts

Please sign in or register to post your comments.

Page 1 of 1 pages

Posted by Shirley Rawlins 4 months, 1 week ago: Yes, I remember the old days. The first sight were the beautiful bamboo trees and extremely well kept gardens. Also the beautiful lawn where absolutely no hard shoes were worn only soft wear. We had many good days.