#sahsmuseum

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What's the link between the Queen of England, a Jamaican Swimming Olympian, Grace Darling House, Kingston College, art education, cricket giant "Whispering Death", St. Margaret's Anglican Church, track and field and more? The answer lies in a delightful 4-part conversation with Lady Rheima Hall (nee Holding) and fellow trailblazer Mrs. Marie (Hector) Clarke. Click the above and enjoy. EJM

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Good morning! Today (Sept 4) is the first full day in the new school year at SAHS. We take this opportunity to wish new and existing members of our community the very best for a happy and productive year. EJM

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Barbara Requa (nee Grant) has been involved in Dance for more than fifty years. As a Physical Education student at Dartford College, England in the 1950’s she had the good fortune to study with Valerie Preston-Dunlop, noted dance educator and author and a former student of renowned educator Rudolf Laban; this resulted in her introduction to Laban’s Principles and techniques for dance in education. She returned to Jamaica where she held posts as head of the Physical Education departments at two leading institutions over the next twelve (12) years - the St Andrew High School for Girls and the Mico College. In the 1960’s she opened a private school for children and in 1976 this school became part of the Jamaica School of Dance when the Cultural Training Centre, now the Edna Manley College, was launched. Mrs. Requa has a history of involvement in ‘new beginnings’. She is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed National Dance Theatre Co. of Jamaica (NDTC), a co-founder of the School of Dance, Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts, and a founding member of Dance & the Child International (daCi), having attended the first Conference in Canada where she co-presented a paper which looked at dance for children in Jamaica. Other professional activities include: • Delivery of Workshops and Seminars on Dance Education and Composition in Jamaica, throughout the Caribbean, in the USA and Europe. • Panelist and advisor for the development of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) programme in Theatre Arts – Dance, and the development of a BFA Degree in the Visual & Performing Arts for the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ). • Chairperson - Dance Committee and Chief Adjudicator for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) since the 1980’s. • Co-writer and coordinator for the Curriculum Development and piloting of the first Primary Teachers Integrated Arts Programme – Ministry of Education & Culture, Jamaica. • National Representative (1982-2002) and member of the Executive Committee (2002-2005) for Dance and the Child International (daCi). • Lecturer – Dance in Primary Education, Faculty of Humanities & Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, 20003 – 2010. Mrs. Requa has held a number of academic posts at the Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts since its inception; formerly Director of the School of Dance, she was appointed Dean of the Schools of the Performing Arts from 1995 to 2004 and acted in the post of Principal from September 2002 to December 2003, prior to her retirement in 2004. She is the recipient of a number of awards that include the Silver Musgrave Medal (1995) from the prestigious Institute of Jamaica for work in Dance Education, the Life Achievement Award by the National Dance Theatre Co. of Jamaica NDTC (1997), the Golden Torch Award by the Jamaica Teachers Association (1999), the National Order of Distinction, Officer (2004)) by the Government of Jamaica and more recently the 50th Anniversary Award from the NDTC (1962-2012) in recognition of a distinguished and sustained contribution to the development of Dance in Jamaica. /December 2012

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Vote for the SAHS Museum!

Guess what? Of 550 blog submissions in the 2012 Jamaica Blog Awards competition we are nominated in two (2) categories!!! Click to vote.

The categories are very competitive so we are asking for 'all hands to be on deck' to help us take home these coveted trophies: - 1. Best Jamaican Tumblr Blog (vote: http://jamaicablogawards.org/jm/the-emrie-james-museum-blog). Help pick the best collection (Top-5) from our archives.

2. Best Jamaican Video Blog (vote: http://jamaicablogawards.org/jm/st-andrew-high-school-museum )

In this category judges will be looking to see if subjects are comfortable in front the camera sharing commentary, music and sometimes a joke. Please select your favorite video clips (Top-5) from the museum's playlists>> http://youtube.com/sahsmuseum

Note: We are the defending champions of the Best Jamaican Video Blog (2011).

UPDATE: Award winning writer of Caribbean Children’s Literature Diane Browne (an alumna, former SAHS parent and teacher), is also finalist in the 'Best Writing on a Blog' category! Vote here.

Voting begins on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. Here is how "Winning a Jamaica Blog Award (JBA)" works: -

1. JBA's screening panel will be requested to assess the nominations on content, language, relevant category selections, aesthetics and grounds to make it as a Finalist in the Jamaica Blog Awards. The categories designed for public voting will not be assessed by this team.

2. The finalists in each thematic category will be announced to begin the voting round on these blogs.

3. Online voting is not the only factor; winners of the Jamaica Blog Awards will also be assessed by judges assigned to each category. Online voting will account for 30% of the final assessment. The judging panel which will be made public will evaluate the finalists to contribute 70% of the overall decision.

4. One vote per IP address with an email address in each category will be accepted.

5. Information about the voting process will be shared by JBA on Tuesday, January 8, 2013.

Important Dates for the JBA competition

a) Reveal of Finalists – Monday, January 7, 2013

b) Voting Period – January 8-14, 2013

c) The Jamaica Blog Awards Ceremony – Saturday, January 19, 2013

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For more about the Corve DaCosta-led Jamaica Blog Awards, please click here.

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Thanks for your support this year, museumists. Happy 2013! - The SAHS Museum team

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Memoirs of Jamaica's First Female Bank Accountant | Mrs. Myrtle (Rose) Henry

Guest Blogger: Mrs. Ruth Stafford (nee Small) Once again I am meeting another former student of St. Andrew High (SAHS) one of the first students to be at SAHS. Mrs. Myrtle Henry (nee Rose) was only 9 years when she entered SAHS in January 11, 1928. At that time the school was only 3 years old. Mrs. Henry told me that her mother decided to send her daughters to St. Andrew because they were Presbyterians: the school was started by the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.

>br Mrs. Henry remembers clearly that her classroom was in the old garage where she was placed in form 2 remove. Born on February 11, 1918 Myrtle Rose Henry remembers the first day she arrived at school she wore a navy blue skirt the hem was below the knee, white blouse with ¾ sleeves, which had a red sailor collar, a stripe tie with blue and yellow. The girls wore large straw Panama hats, black shoes and white socks. Mrs. Henry believes her sister Mrs. Hazel (Rose) Fletcher still has the school tie. I asked her would it be possible for the St. Andrew Foundation to collect the tie which would be placed in the SAHS Museum. She recalls that Miss Margaret Gartshore instructed Joan Humphreys to show Myrtle around the school. Mrs. Henry is very proud that she has interacted with all the St. Andrew headmistresses. Jessie Gartshore was the first headmistress she was there for only 1 year. She married and her sister Margaret became the second principal. Mrs. Henry speaks fondly of the school and it is obvious that the headmistress felt an affection towards her. In those days Miss Stockhausen and Miss Dawson would invite her to have tea with them. TEACHERS Margaret Gartshore taught Music; Doris Stockhausen taught the upper classes; Miss Sherlock taught Arithmetic and English Literature; Miss Christine Featherstone who was from Scotland was the French teacher; Miss Garrow was from England lost her voice and so decided to return home. The girls gave her a box of chocolates it was so touching when Miss Garrow said thank you in a whisper the girls spontaneously applauded. Miss Garrow underwent an operation and returned to the school as Mrs.Weaver. Mrs. Nora Gray, Jamaican, taught Botany; Mrs. Harvey was from England taught Art; Mrs. Pixie-Jones (Rev Jones’ wife) taught dancing mainly country dancing; Mr. Housen was also a music teacher; Mrs. Surgeon-Kearon taught Spanish; Miss Verity was a music teacher; Mrs. Henry speaks fondly of her teachers and recalls that there was a good relationship between the teachers and students. Her favourite subjects were French and History SCHOOL POPULATION The school population was small with only 75 girls in attendance, when Mr. Norman Manley (Jamaica's first Premier) introduced the common entrance examination according to Mrs. Henry the flood gates opened and then the population expanded. Some of the girls who attended the school in the 1920s who Myrtle remembers were Ruth Geddes, Evelyn Mordecai Matalon, Leaele Bubb-Clarke, Sweetheart Lyons, Norma Scheffer. Avis Marzinck, Lilly Denzie, Ida Fowles, Joyce McMorris, Iris Cadogan, Hazel Hislop, Marsha Brandon, Joan Humphreys-Levy. SCHOOL LUNCH Lunch consisted of patties which cost quatty and lemonade. Other items available from the tuck shop were gizzards, grater cakes these were stored in huge boxes with glass covers so the girls were able to view the goodies and no doubt to keep out the flies. Table manners was considered important, students had lunch together and those girls whose table etiquette was below standard would be called aside and taught the correct manners. ACTIVITIES School started at 8am with prayers, then classes were about an hour long, there were 2 breaks the first one was at 10 am for 10 minutes and the 2nd break was the lunch break which lasted 40 minutes. The girls returned to class for 2 more sessions and school was dismissed at 1.15 p.m. Students played hockey and netball after school, but the craze among the girls was jacks which they would play during break time.

Photo: Firefly Cottage Drama was part of the curriculum, Myrtle remembers acting in the play “Little Women” she was Amy. Mrs. Henry remembers that the summer holidays were 8 weeks, and the school hall was built from funds raised by the old girls. MYRTLE's PERSONAL JOURNEY Mrs. Henry took 8 subjects at Senior Cambridge and left St. Andrew High at 16 this was to enable her younger siblings to be educated. She then attended a business school in Spaulding for 1 year, then worked in a lawyer's office, got married, then worked at the Bank of Novia Scotia branch in Christiana, Manchester.

Former President and CEO of BNS William Clarke (centre) could not hold back the glee he felt when he met Betty Morant-Reid (left) and Myrtle Henry, two of the pensioners, just before the luncheon. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer, Jamaica Gleaner She proudly speaks about the fact that she was the first woman in Jamaica to be appointed an accountant in a bank. This was in 1961 at the BNS Half-Way-Tree branch. When Mrs. Henry retired in 1985 at age 67, she was responsible for training the tellers and quoted from the BNS Chief Executive Officer’s letter “...well merited and long deserved”. Mrs. Henry attributes her very good memory to her genes, walking twice a day around her home and is proud that she did yoga for some years but does not attend classes now. She admits to having enjoyed her life and still keeps in touch with her school friends. ----- This interview was conducted on January 31, 2011. We are pleased to announce that the first tie is on display in the Emrie James Museum (aka SAHS Museum). Post script ----- Myrtle (Rose) Henry is the sister of Hazel (Rose) Fletcher who is the matriarch of four generations of Fletcher's at St. Andrew High (see below).

Mrs. Hazel Fletcher with Margaret Reckord Bernal (SAHS Museum curator) on April 8, 2011 at the Museum's grand opening ceremony. Three (3) generations of family at St. Andrew High: - Mother: Hazel (Rose) Fletcher; Daughter: Andrea Fletcher; Daughter: Christine (Fletcher) Stiebel with Grand-daughters: Chalanie and Danielle Stiebel Mrs. Henry is also the grandaunt of Joanne, Jennifer and Angela Fletcher.

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A short vBlog featuring Rachel Manley (award winning author and St. Andrew High graduate), Dr. Deanna Ashley (Chair of the St. Andrew High School Foundation and Rachel's school perfect) along with present day St. Andrew High School students at the Emrie James Museum - 10 Cecelio Avenue, Kgn 10. NOTE: Rachel's autographed books are available for sale at the Museum - 10 Cecelio Avenue, Kgn 10. See the Museum's lookbook for the 2011 Gift collection >> http://ow.ly/7MSec (p. 12)