The faces are lined but still beautiful, the step is unsteady and the hair silvery-grey. In contrast, before them is a sea of young upturned faces and as their voices shout a thundering “Yes”, to the question: “Are you happy to see them?” it is difficult to keep emotion in check.
For the many past principals and teachers including one master, now 91 years old, who have moulded hundreds of girls, sometimes even two or three generations of one family and given the best years of their life, in the convent-by-the-sea, that resounding “yes” is a fitting tribute.
It was on a bright Friday interspersed with “showers of blessings” that Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, with Principal Sr. Chandani Jayasuriya at the helm, paid tribute to those who had guided the destinies of many.
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| The ‘old teachers’ walking |
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| Ms. Caryl White speaking at the ceremony |
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| 91-year old Master going down memory lane with a young student. |
Welcomed at the gate with schoolgirls pinning a flower on them amidst the gentle fluttering of blue-and-white balloons and the familiar sound of the waves lapping at the shore, the “old teachers” were coming through the portals of the convent to form the Past Teachers’ Association of HFC, Colombo 4.
Initiated by Sr. Chandani herself, the idea had been supported by the Parent Teacher Association and much had been the behind-the-scenes efforts by all and sundry. The present teachers, both of the college and primary, the Prefects, the choir, the Western Band, students who took part in the entertainment programmes, each and everyone had focused on the minutest detail to make it a memorable occasion for the past teachers.
Before the formal ceremony to launch the association, it was “appreciation time” with Sr. Chandani, herself a past pupil of the school who had been taught by many of them, stressing that they had “given so much of themselves” to make HFC what it is today, followed by youthful voices singing, ‘I thank my God each time I think of you’.
“You have given your blood, sweat and tears to spread knowledge and many of you are household names in Familian homes,” said Sr. Chandani. “My mind goes back to my formative years in these very classrooms and playing fields and many are the occasions when I was upbraided or commended by my teachers.”
Dubbing “this day” special and significant in the history of the school, Caryl White, not only a past teacher but also a past pupil and granddaughter of one of the Founders of the school, went down memory lane.
As Ms. White said, “The dress-code highlighted petticoats and hemlines well below the knee. So strong was the insistence on both, that even at this age and stage of my life, I have been unable to shed either!” ripples of laughter gathered momentum among the present Familians because though the years have wrought many a change within the school, the “below the knee” hemline is still adhered to.
Fulfilment and happiness were evident as the past teachers left the school, having established the association to provide an opportunity for past and present teachers to meet and get to know one another as well as opportunities for interaction and fellowship and a sharing of knowledge and experiences, while being of mutual assistance to each other. Most, however, will hold dear the beloved images of that day – the most poignant being the students giving a helping hand to steady the stumble of a past teacher.
These would be assurances enough to the ‘old’ teachers that what they worked for still holds good at HFC – the development of “rounded” students not only thorough with their lessons but also with values such as kindness and sincerity deeply ingrained.
Little Familians moulded and nurtured by teachers to take their place in society as responsible women.
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