NEWSLETTER [2006]

Reunion 2005

Executive Meeting

by Lorraine Phillipe

This meeting was held on Friday, August 19, 2005 beginning at 9:00 a.m. with representatives from the Barbados, California, Guyana, New York Tri-State, Toronto, Trinidad, UK-Europe and Washington Chapters.

One of the topics raised was the needs of the school.

Yvonne Moses-Grant, representing Barbados, and who works for the Caribbean Development Bank, pointed out that the Guyana Government's annual budget was insufficient to cover the educational costs of many schools in the country. It was therefore proposed that a needs assessment be done, in order to examine the levels of adequate funding for Bishops'. In addition to funding, it was noted that the institution needed strengthening in other areas, such as:

1. The establishment of a code of behavior and discipline,

2. Training and development of teachers to increase the level of commitment of non-BHS graduates (presently there are only 3 former BHS graduates on the staff)

3. Incentives that will stem the tide of turnover rates of teachers.

4. Development of guidance and counseling program.

There is presently no PTA organization, so there is no communication between parents and teachers.

Effective July 1, 2005 the Government appointed a Board of Governors to the school for a twoyear period. The Board is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, with responsibilities ranging from setting budgets and salaries to providing pensions and benefits for staff.

The Members of the Board are:

Joyce Sinclair (Chair of the Board)

• Maureen Massiah Lance Hinds
  
• Magda Pollard Carmen Jarvis
  
• Rawle Dundas
  
• James Archibald Mason
  
• Khemraj Ramjattan
  
• Monica Agard-Greene
  
• Madan Rambarran
  
• Peter Assing
  
• David Chan-A-Sue

Lance Hinds, head of BHSOSA gave an update on the Science Lab Project. The Government has agreed to fund the repairs to the floors of the labs and as such a revised proposal will be sent to the Chapters who are in favor of supporting this project. The New York Tri-State Chapter was already committed to the science lab project and will support the other projects whenever possible.

Communication between the School and Chapters was another area, which needed strengthening. It was suggested that Terry Stuart, who currently is a liaison for the New York Tri-State Chapter, be asked whether she would be willing to do the same for all the other Chapters.

The idea of a website or yahoo group to help disseminate information between the Chapters on a regular basis was also discussed. In addition, the Chapters agreed to representatives meeting once a year, instead of every three years so as to plan and execute projects, in a more efficient manner with each other and the school. There was also overwhelming support for the formation of a Foundation, which would have the ability to solicit funds from businesses and generous individuals who are not connected to the school.

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8TH ANNUAL REUNION CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF BHS

Our Tri-State shines again at the 2005 Reunion

by Gail Nunes

As it must have been with our sister Chapters, the Tri-State Chapter searched anxiously for ideas based on a theme which would not only entertain our audience, but which we would enjoy performing as a group. "'Dis time nah lang time" was the culmination of these ideas, and was a depiction of performances and expressions from our past. We would evoke the nostalgia of our childhood schooldays by enacting ring games. We would also perform dance routines taught at High School level, both as part of the curriculum and as participants in Guyana's Independence Pageant.

In order to achieve this effort, we enlisted the expertise of one of our own, Claire Goring, to coordinate our performance. Claire sought the assistance of Verna Walcott-White, Director of the Impressions Dance Theatre in New York, to choreograph the various dances. Our New Jersey contingent was eager to join us, and elected to perform an Indian dance routine which would be choreographed by another of our talented alumni, Nirmala Durgana.

Claire provided us with the outline for our dialogue, which we used to develop our theme. A few of the old sayings and expressions from back home were revived, and related to a captive audience by our President, Lorraine Phillipe. Included was

"Charlie Open Nenen Tea, Ent Nenen Tea Sweet?"

which we recited as children to represent the word CONTENTS in our elementary text books.

Each segment of the performance was introduced by Joan McGowan-Findley and Anzie Fraser who, acting as the older generation, used their gifts of our dancers were a class act. After weeks of rehearsing and of coaxing unused limbs, we managed to create a potpourri of various dance routines which represented the cultures of Guyana, all performed in full costume. We became a family, meeting twice a week, providing each other with support and encouragement, and just having a lot of laughs. Our New Jersey group rehearsed "offsite" because of the distance, but was able to attend a few of our rehearsals.

The result of our hard work was an explosion of laughter, vibrant color and movement as we transitioned from theme to theme. Our male African dancer and Masquerader, Cleveland John, was the crowd favorite and even surprised us with his un-choreographed moves on stage.

Our performance was rewarded by an invitation to perform at the annual Guyana Folk Festival Family Fun Day. We were once again greeted with accolades from the audience.

The cast of Tri-State alumni wishes to extend its heartfelt gratitude to all who worked tirelessly with us to bring this production to fruition. Of exceptional mention are Claire Goring, Verna Walcott-White, and Nirmala Durgana. We are also indebted to the invaluable contributions made by Malcolm Hall, Rose October, and Tangerine Clarke whose advice, support, and encouragement provided useful tools in helping to make our production a success. Moreover, we are grateful to Anzie, Lorraine and Barbara for volunteering space at the Church of St. Mark in Brooklyn, St. John's Episcopal in Queens, and Hannah John's residence, for rehearsals.

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