South Side High School to be closed down by Minister of Education

It is with prayerful thoughts that I venture to write this article.  I write with extreme passion because the institution Excelsior High School is so intimate to me.  I have invested my heart, my compassion, patriotism, and my blood, sweat and tears to this institution for over a decade.  I was a teacher and later chairman of the school board.  Am just putting this in prospective so that you can understand why it means so much to me as well as to thousands of families whose love ones successfully attended this institution.  I hope that, “the Ministry of Education reconsiders its position to close down Excelsior High School.”  Today’s daily prayer referred to Psalm 59 verses 2:4 and it reads; “Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.  For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.  They run and prepare themselves without my fault.  Awake to help me, and behold.”

Space will not permit us, but for one to really appreciate EHS its history has to be told.  Excelsior was born from an idea, to provide a second chance for those students who did not accomplish well in Primary School to be given the opportunity to go to a regular high school.  The dream of Mr. Lamb in 1975, was supported and nourished by the late John Young who in 1982, brought it to its new location on Faber’s Road,  its current location.  This school attracted students from as far as Goergeville and Esperanza Villages in the Cayo District, St. Bite and Hopkins from the South and as far North as Libertad, who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attain a high school diploma.

In that single concrete structure on Faber’s Road, Excelsior was home to almost 600 students in the early to mid 90’s and was the first school to utilize a shift system having a day and evening session.  Hopefully, we can continue the glory stories in the future but the situation on hand is the haste and malicious way in which the bureaucrats at the Ministry of Education want to come and close down the high school.  Reports are that the first time the staff was told about this totally unwelcome decision, was around middle of June.  The parents were called to a meeting and told about this move on June 29th, 2010.  That is after the school year was ended and students were out on summer vacation.  In fact, the parents were promised a subsequent meeting and are still waiting for that meeting today.  I believe that I have a legal and a moral obligation to launch this campaign to keep Excelsior open and it is my hope that the thousands of alumni would join in.  As a matter of fact, since this news broke a couple weeks ago, Ms. Sophia Green, a graduate of EHS, who holds a MPA and lectures at Cal State, and is running for election to the school board in Fontana California in November, has launched a campaign and fund raising drive to see how they can help to save Excelsior.

Allow me to name some prominent people who had worked at Excelsior during the time I was there.  Mrs. Eve Aird, wife of the CEO of the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Dellie Martinez, wife of the Minister of Human Development, Evan Mose Hyde, Adele Ramos, Gorge Espat and Philip Palacio.  Several principals of other schools including Ismael Requena “ACC,” Lorna Mckay “Gwen Liz,” Mario Rodriguez “St. Ignatius.”  Prominent graduates include high ranking BDF and police officers and we cannot forget that EHS dominated high school sports for more than ten years producing athletes such as Keith Acosta, Darren Bovell, John Trapp, Steven Williams and Kirk Burgess.  Hopefully this might play on the conscience of the ministry, Psalm 59 verse 10; “The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.”

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