Reflections on Old Boys’ Day

Editor: I was honoured to have participated in the Old Boys’ Day activity at the St Vincent Grammar School. It was with a deep sense of pride that I jumped at the opportunity to give back in a small way to an institution which has given much to me.{{more}}

Boys will always be boys

I interacted with the students of form 3R5. They were a bunch of self-confident young men, well spoken, but ‘boisterous.’ They seem to have a real sense of adventure, high spirits and were basking in the sojourn of their time at the school. They understood clearly that they have big shoes to fill academically, while boasting that their foot sizes were bigger than us (OLD Boys). A young chap, Pete, stood out because maybe I saw a bit of myself in him. In short, no pun intended, the smallest person in the class had the ‘most mouth.’

Since accepting its first cohort, the St Vincent Grammar School has maintained its rich tradition of academic excellence and exceptional prowess on the field of play, including as perennial Inter-Secondary Schools Athletics champions. No doubt, the school’s heritage will propel its continued legacy as the top male institution in the country. Sure too, the institution will break new ground as the educational landscape changes to reflect the times, particularly new ways of instruction and testing and access to education.

GHS REIGN

Back to form 3R5. Our discussions ventured a stone’s throw away to the Girls’ High School. We debated the pros and cons of co-ed education and the dominance of sister school GHS at the CXC level. Pete was quick to point out, “while we are studying the girls, the girls were studying their books.” Touché!

In some sense, I did not nor have I ever had the feeling that the SVGS and GHS were true rivals and each is equally happy with the other’s success. However, maybe a rivalry in its rawest sense may see the Grammar School displacing GHS at the top of CXC overall table, rather than merely settling for being the top male institution. This effort may also work to push the GHS to achieve its self-imposed goal of a 100 per cent pass rate.

OLD BOYS

Current Headmaster Curtis King and his team must be congratulated for their efforts to revive the important link between the past and the present. His task is a difficult one in reinvigorating the Old Boys Association. The school’s effort must be sustained with activities throughout the year to revive an interest in the association and to attract new and willing alumni.

To those who have sat on the sidelines thus far, always remember the old adage, “to whom much is given, much is also expected.”

Adaiah Providence-Culzac

adaiah.culzac@gmail.com