No regrets taking up where mom left off – Roslyn Peters

In 1965, Edna Peters’ love for teaching, and children, pushed her to open a private institution called the Petersville Primary School.

Now, this year, on October 6, the institution, which has catered to the primary school needs of numerous children, celebrated 50 years of providing top class education under the motto: ‘It is only hard work that leads to success.”{{more}}

On opening day, some 50 years ago, the school started off under the care of Edna Peters, who was a retired teacher. On that day, some 30 students began their path to learning, with three teachers aiding them.

Last Wednesday, Edna’s daughter, Roslyn Peters, who took over the school when her mom passed away in 1977, told SEARCHLIGHT that she has never regretted taking up where her mom left off.

“I came over in 1967 and mother fell ill in 1974, so I was in charge, but decided I would not take over until she dies; so I took over in 1977, as she died on the 21st of February 1977 and I took over from then,” recalled Peters, who revealed that her mother had been a teacher at the Kingstown Anglican School before retiring.

“She loved to teach and she had said that when she retired from government she would teach again. She would always have lessons and after a year when my father died she started the school. She loved having the children as company,” said the headmistress, who, before taking up the position which she holds, was, like her mother, a teacher at the Kingstown Anglican School.

Back when Petersville started, students paid $9 a term. When Miss Roslyn, as she is affectionately called, took over the school, there were 200 students and 10 teachers. The school now has 12 teachers and 220 students, but once boasted of over 400 students, a number that Miss Roslyn said she cut because of a number of reasons.

“The students back then (in 1977) were a better disciplined group and so we were able to get them to do much more work. The teachers, too, were also quite disciplined and hard-working. The teachers were better disciplined; you would find them staying here until sometime after 6 p.m. with the children,” noted the strict disciplinarian.

She said that the school has produced persons that have gone on to make worthwhile contributions to the communities in which they decided to live. Miss Roslyn mentioned persons like former chief magistrate and now judge in Belize Sonya Young; professor at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus Dr Justin Robinson; lawyer Michaella Ambrose; senior education officer Aldia Guumbs-Dyer; teacher Kimberley Young-Compton; Jemma Findlay (airline industry/Croatia); lawyers Ronnie Marks, Nicole Sylvester (deceased) and Lyndon George; Dr Jennifer George; bankers Ronald Veira and Alicia Bess; and pastor Paul Duncan.

When asked one of the main reasons she has stuck with the school all this time, Miss Roslyn said that besides her love for children, she wanted to continue where her mom left off.

“When my mother died, I had no other choice; it was either I close down the school and leave, but I said that too often we black people do not like to look after our parent’s business, so I decided I would stay here and continue with the school.”

She added, “the children were doing quite well and I had a good rapport with the children and the parents and from the 1980s up, there was a boom in the children getting good results, so I decided I would stay around.”

She said that she added a new wing in 1989 when students’ numbers were up, while one year, a student, Ricardo Adams, even placed first in the Common Entrance Examinations.

On who will take over when she’s gone, Miss Roslyn says, “I’m not sure who will take over the school when I move on. It would be nice if a teacher in the school can take it over, someone with good leadership skills.”

The school marked its golden anniversary with a march, a church service at the St George’s Cathedral and a fair, which was held last Saturday.