Message From Carol

It is my pleasure to extend greetings to you as Chair of the Central Executive Branch of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College Past Students’ Association.Our sincere thanks to Leo Gilling and the past members of the Central Executive Branch (CEB) for their leadership and hard work during their tenure. Special thanks also to the New York Chapter for the great job they did in hosting the 2009 Reunion. In addition, I would like to thank all the Chapter Presidents for the confidence they have placed in me and in my ability to serve as Chair of this young and dynamic body. I am privileged to serve in this exciting and significant time in our history and I am encouraged by the support and enthusiasm of the newly appointed CEB members.

  I have extended congratulations to Dr. Ausburn Pinnock, the newly appointed Principal of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College. Again, on behalf of the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College Past Students’ Association (SSTCPSA), I want to let him know how proud we are that he is one of us, a “son of the soil”. His appointment serves as a great inspiration to us alumni and also to present and future students of the College. This is a message to us that with ambition, commitment, dedication and excellence our goals and aspirations can be achieved. We pledge our support of him as the new Principal and  our continued support of the College, which we hold so dear to our hearts. Dr. Simon Clarke and Dr. Cecile Walden have left a great legacy and we hold them in high esteem and wish for them continued good health and happiness.

Since being called upon to be Chair of the Association, I have met and discussed our plans for 2010 with the CEB members and the various Chapter Presidents. A Medical Committee has been formed and we are in the process of putting an Education Committee together. We are encouraging you all to volunteer (time, talents, resources - financial and material) to be an active part of this Mission, especially the Education Camp which provides activities not limited to the academic subjects but include sports, hiking, touring and the creative arts, counseling and mentoring. When we came up with the idea of this type of activity, there were persons who were willing to share their ideas and expertise in workshop/seminar with practicing teachers. We would like to put this back in the plans. While it might not be convenient for the time in July, it could be accommodated in the first half of the school year. Please feel to contact me at idealnursing@aol.com.  We will also be putting the contact data of the various members of the executive on the website  as well as opening a chat room to share our ideas.  Plans for the upcoming year including holding an Education Camp July 12-22 and a Medical Mission July 19-23. These activities will culminate with the Reunion hosted by the Jamaica Chapter on Saturday July 24, 2010.

As we continue to work hard in developing fundraising efforts toward these activities and the reunion, we look forward to your commitment and support because together we can achieve our goals. We are looking forward to a great Reunion. Several of you have commented that we need to add a little more variety to the three-day Reunion weekend.  Please give us your suggestions again through attending meetings or through the emails. We want to make sure that your ideas will be incorporated in our planning.  We look forward to continued dialogue with members individually and through the Chapters.

We want to kick off a book drive during these coming months. I am appealing to our teachers and university graduates for donation of books ( Not older than 10 years) that you and your schools are no longer using, to the organization. This will enhance our long term goal of helping to construct a Library on Campus which will not only enrich the students’ lives, but also be a medium for adding income to the Institution. This project will be discussed in details as we move forward and as this organization continues to grow.

I am very excited and passionate about the future of this organization and Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College and the path it is charting into the future. How about you? Do you remember when you first set foot on the Campus of the college? For some of us, this was a very special and indelible moment that is etched in our memories forever and which no other experiences can erase.  I, like many of you, look forward to every chance to return and give back to the college and the community. My desire is to serve with an objective to engage all the alumni of the college, and ensure that they stay connected to the Association; that we provide networking opportunities, programs, activities and service that will instill pride in the Institution and build a strong connection among alumni, students, faculty and staff.

As a final thought, I invite you to get on board with the Association and revisit a very precious aspect of your past, spend time and chat with old friends, reminisce, and meet new friends. Build bonds of understanding and connect with persons who travelled alongside you but never got the time to really know. I can assure you that you will enjoy a sense of accomplishment, gratitude, and satisfaction.
Your membership in the SSTCPSA will form a common bond which stretches from the pioneer students to the present. If you are not yet a member, have been inactive, or a new graduate; I take this opportunity to invite you to join the association.  There is so much that we can achieve together and fulfill our motto of service, commitment and excellence.
 
With these thoughts in mind, I conclude my message and encourage you to remain focused, as we give back to Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College and the community which we all have benefited from.

I look forward to a very successful year with the support of everyone.
 

Carol Grant-Gordon