Clare Valley Government to celebrate 60th anniversary

A series of activities began yesterday, May 8, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Clare Valley Government School.{{more}}

The celebrations, which are being held under the theme “Sixty Years of Moulding Minds and Building Characters,” began with the school’s annual Grade 5 Spelling Bee Competition yesterday, then continues with the cleaning and painting of the school building today, May 9 and tomorrow, May 10.

A highlight of the celebrations will be a church service on May 18, one day after the actual anniversary, which will see key roles being played by graduates of the school, including Dexter Kirby, senior pastor at Grace Community Baptist Church, who will deliver a sermonette.

Visits will be made to past principals from May 21 to 23, and a school fair will be held on May 31. The activities continue on June 3 with a career fair and the launch of the Morris Slater Memorial Scholarship. The late Morris Slater, former chief executive officer of the Housing and Land Development Corporation, was one of the school’s main benefactors.

Graduation ceremony for Grade 6 students will be held on June 12, to be followed by a fishing competition on June 13. Other activities include a banquet and awards ceremony on July 12 and an “old school” dance on August 1.

“The Clare Valley Government School has played a pivotal role in moulding the minds of young people of Clare Valley, Lower Questelles, Chauncey, Rillan Hill and other areas of South Leeward,” says Elvis Abraham, a longstanding teacher at the Clare Valley Government School, who is also one of the organisers of the celebratory activities.

Abraham further says: “We will use these 60th anniversary celebrations to showcase our past students who are in admirable positions in our society. This, we hope, will help to inspire current students of the school and also help current and past teachers to see the products of their instructions.

“However, these activities, such as the fishing competition and ‘old school’ dance, are also opportunities to celebrate the customs of Clare Valley and St Vincent and the Grenadines in general. We would like to extent a special invitation to all our past students, regardless of professional or social circumstances, to join with us in celebration of this very important institution.”