From Jamaica Observer

CAVALIERS Primary School in the hills of St Andrew will mark its 100th anniversary on November 15, a milestone that is being regarded as a symbol of renewal, hope, and reflection of its journey from a two-room all-age school in a board building.

Memories of that journey were shared last Sunday at the start of a month-long celebration in the form of a service at St Christopher’s Anglican Church in Cavaliers district.

“Let’s face it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. None of us will perhaps live to see another 100 years,” said Evelyn Smith, president of the committee formed to organise the celebrations.

Smith said that although the school has had its fair share of challenges, its existence today is testimony to the hard work done by others before. “It is something to be proud of,” she said.

Her sentiments were echoed by keynote speaker and Cavaliers All-Age past student Dr Howard Gregory, the Lord Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, who said this monumental achievement is a symbol of the strength of the people of Cavaliers, as well as the strength and dedication of the educators, residents and other stakeholders who have contributed to the rich legacy that Cavaliers embodies.

He used the opportunity to speak to the challenges that educational institutions face in light of what he described as the gaping holes in the transition of core values from one generation to the next.

“A people without history is a people without identity, and much of this is reflected in the way that people live today,” Bishop Gregory said.

This, he argued, has transcended into a pattern of indiscipline among students who have found it difficult to navigate the school system while still exerting respect for those who have been charged with educating them.

“Parents have a responsibility, which many of them have abandoned,” Bishop Gregory said. “They appropriate the children and their unruly behaviours, and it is a part of the reason why many of our students are confused.”

Directing his comments to students in the congregation, Bishop Gregory said: “You can leave school with more than a carving on the wall, the desks, and trees.”

The statement earned him a standing ovation and nods of approval from the congregation.

Cavaliers was founded in 1915 by an outstanding educator who people in the district today, as well as at the Ministry of Education, remember only as ‘Teacher Aitcheson’. His wife was also a founder, the Jamaica Observer was told. Both were Anglicans.

The couple was reportedly driven to open the school after seeing a perpetual cycle of children who, by virtue of their distance from formal educational institutions and resourceless homes and communities, remained uneducated.

At the time, the school was built on a plot of land parallel to St Christopher’s Anglican Church. Its tiny frame was divided into two rooms, offering classes to 10 students between the ages of eight and 10 years.

It was not until the 1960s that the school was expanded, increasing its capacity to 400, and creating a greater avenue for education, social and economic development in the once predominantly farming community.

This breakthrough afforded the community the opportunity to boast of its many achievements, as the school turned out excellent students, many of whom now occupy positions in the upper echelons of the society.

It is against this background that the past students and Cavaliers district residents — who have benefited from the ripple effects of an institution grounded in promoting positive growth through education — decided to stage the month of celebratory activities.

Last Sunday’s church service was actually the second activity. The first was a fish fry from which the organisers hoped to make enough money to fund the other events. The celebrations will continue through to October 31 with a fete on the school grounds.

In his address on Sunday, Bishop Gregory challenged the educators to remain dedicated to their task of imparting knowledge to the children. “The school has an obligation to the students and Cavaliers must continue to pursue this,” he said.

The church service was also used to recognise more than 50 people who contributed to the school’s development.

Among the awardees were 94-year-old Lesmira Kelly, and 96-year-old Gwendolyn Bennett, who both attended the school.

IMAGE: Bishop Howard Gregory, Cavaliers All-Age past student; former teacher and second oldest living past student 96-year-old Gwendolyn Bennett (centre) and president of the Cavaliers Primary School 100th year celebratory committee Evelyn Smith converse just before the start of the church service marking the school’s centenary last Sunday.

For more on this story go to: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Cavaliers-Primary-marks-100-years_19233323