TRIBUTE to St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown – Calma Balcombe

The year 2022 is a significant milestone in the history of our Alma Mater, St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of our existence and commitment to education in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The administrators of this prestigious institution are the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny. It was their indomitable spirit which fulfilled the Cluny Dream of establishing an educational institution in St Vincent and The Grenadines.

The Sisters have left us with a legacy of Christian Principles, the hallmark of respect and that all important value of discipline. They placed emphasis on providing holistic education for ALL students. It is against this background that as a past student, teacher and principal, I was able to embrace changes, remain focused and surmount challenges to keep the Sisters’ dream alive.

As part of the History of St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown, I was asked to assume the Principalship in 2001, a daunting task I readily embraced for 16 years; it was the first time a lay person was at the helm of the school and I have no regrets.

The Spiritual Development of the students was foremost in the vision of the Sisters. This important aspect of the students’ development has been maintained over the years. Apart from this our students are exposed to a wide range of curricular, extra-curricular and social activities. This has shaped and nurtured our young women to contribute positively to the development of our society.

One of my fondest memories at the Convent is our Literary and Arts Festival where our students are given the opportunity to display their talents in Singing, Dancing, Poetry, Chorale Speaking and Visual Arts. The array of talent on display was remarkable. The shy and introverted welcomed the chance to become actively involved and shone their light on that day. It was truly an enriching experience for everyone.

Congratulations to our past and present students, teachers and principals as we celebrate our Diamond Jubilee. May we continue to keep the Dream of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny alive!!