The
area now occupied by The Ellerslie School was part of Ellerslie Plantation.
Construction of the school began in 1965. On September 12, 1966 the staff assigned to
the new school—Ellerslie Comprehensive—met with Acting Headmaster, Mr. C. W.
Brathwaite and Acting Deputy Head, Mr. Isaccs. It was a rather inauspicious beginning since
[equipment, furniture and pupils were absent from the still very active
construction site].
Records
indicate that the first pupils—181 boys and 151 girls— were admitted on
September 19. Unfortunately, this opening
was abortive since the classrooms were not ready. The school [however], opened
in full on September 26, 1966. The
pupils came from feeder schools: St. Stephen’s Junior, Montgomery Boys, Good
Shepherd Primary and Edghill Memorial Girls and ranged in age from 11 to 13. There were eight 1st Forms, two 2nd
Forms and one 3rd Form. The
average number of pupils per class in the first form was 35 and many in several
classes were unable to read and write.
The
subjects on the Curriculum were: English, Mathematics, History, Geography,
Spanish, Religious Education, Craft for Boys, Home Economics (Theory) and
Needlecraft (Girls), and Games. [The
latter] was a hilarious affair, as the area designated as the playing field was
overrun with rocks of all sizes and shapes! The games periods were therefore spent in
clearing the field.
The
canteen was situated next to the tamarind tree and was a wooden and galvanized
iron structure. The quality of food
served by Marion and her mother was excellent and some of the profits made were
donated to the school, thus providing an invaluable source of school funds
during those fledgling years.
In
September 1967, the Headmaster was forced by circumstances to implement a shift
system as a means of coping with the increase in the number of students in
relation to the classroom accommodation available. The first Governing Body was nominated in
January 1968, [Chaired by] Canon B. C. Ulluett. By 1969, extra-curricular activities were
underway—I.
S. C. F., Girl Guides and Red Cross were among the first to be established. Ellerslie began to excel in sports as well and
won the Boys’ Inter-School Sports Championship in 1969. The Under 15 Football Team won the
competition, which was organized for the first time by the Barbados Football
Association. The role of the school had
more than quadrupled to [1,]424 by 1970. The physical plant had not, however, kept pace
with the numerical growth of pupils. Regrettably,
five classes—1-6 to 1-9 and 2-9—had to be housed at the Farm Annex in Deacons
Road. [By] the mid-seventies, [the
school population had exploded] to over [1,]700. Every available nook and cranny was pressed
into service as classroom space, including the Assembly Hall, which was
officially declared open on April 29, 1971 by Minister of Education, Hon.
Erskine Sandiford.
Ellerslie
also became a stepping-stone for teachers. Many who enrolled at U. W. I., Cave Hill as
part-time students sought to be assigned here because of the proximity to the
campus. Those who taught at Ellerslie during this period include Mr. Vere
Walcott of C. B. C.; Mrs. Elsa Hope — Head of Business Studies Department [B.
C. C.], [and] Mr. Lionel Nurse, Chief Town Planner (Ag.), [to name a few]. Miss Velda Gooding, [appointed Headmistress in
September, 1983, was the founder of Prefects’ Week], which is now celebrated in
all secondary schools.
The
students of Ellerslie too have excelled academically [and in the sporting
arena]. [Notably,] a radio announcer, David Ellis; Barbados’ first female
mortician — Pamela Small; [and West Indies cricketer, Carlisle Best, [with
numerous successes in other sporting fields]. The School’s musical talents also found
expression in the Ellerslie Folk Chorale, which was formed in 1981 by Mrs.
Peggy McGreary.
[Dignitaries
also graced the promise land of
Ellerslie. Chief Leabua Jonathan, Prime
Minister of Lesotho, while in Barbados, during this period, viewed exhibits of
students’ work at Ellerslie. This Southern
Africa kingdom, like Barbados, became an independent country within the Commonwealth
of Nations in 1966. No better words aptly
define this institution than those of Walker (1987), who opined]:
Ellerslie
Secondary School which was officially opened in the year 1966 by then Minister of
Education, The Honourable James Cameron Tudor (now Senator Sir James), has
become more than an Independence gift to young persons, for the development of
their potential. (p.3)
Current Trends: new era, new cultural
ethos, new brand
The
expansion of Ellerslie’s curriculum and rebranding of the school to meet and
satisfy the demands of a rapidly evolving technologically savvy national,
regional and international workforce has led to the school being certified, in June
2015, as a Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Centre. Students are now
able to pursue CVQ training in Commercial Food Preparation (Cookery) and Crop
Production. These programmes have been expanded to include Agro-Food Processing,
Furniture Making, and Carpentry. This is only the beginning!
With
the introduction of the Schools’ Positive Behaviour Management Programme
(SPBMP) at Ellerslie, coinciding with the school’s 50th anniversary of
existence—the only school to share this period of celebrations with the annual
independence festivities of Barbados— Ellerslie
seeks to become the school of choice over the next 50 years of its existence.
Too this end, in September, 2017, the school joined the steadily growing list
of Sixth Form Schools on the island by welcoming its first Sixth Form students.
The focus, at this time, would be on Business, Management of Business,
Entrepreneurship, and Accounts at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency
Examination (CAPE) level. On Monday, 27 November, 2017 this rebranded
institution officially launched its Sixth Form with all the pomp and pageantry
deserving of such an occasion.
The
new crest symbolizes our link to the past. The national flower, Pride of
Barbados, on the left side reminds us that The Ellerslie School is the only one
of its kind to share its anniversary with Barbados’ celebration of
independence. The image of the sugar mill above the motto: “Make Wise Use of
Your Time” from the Latin inscription at the base of the crest and pieces of
sugar cane to the right are all reminders of the erstwhile Ellerslie Plantation
upon which the school was built. No better rendering of these combined emblems
can be found outside that given by Reverend Dr. Von E. Watson during his sermon
at the Ellerslie Secondary School’s 51st Anniversary Thanksgiving Service at the St.
Stephen’s Church on Sunday, September 24, 2017. Reverend Watson, reflecting on
the history of the school and its site which was once a former work area for
slaves and plantation workers, opined that,
[1]When Ellerslie school took up that plantation site, on our Independence, it was not a transformation that took place but a transfiguration which took place... The great glory of God, the liberator became evident in the shining light of education for every descendant of the slaves and the slave workers.
[1] https://www.barbadosadvocate.com/news/ellerslie-marks-51st-anniversary
Affectionately,
 |
| Brown Cows Fuh Life! |
1997-2002....mi deyah
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