Volume 1 – April 2005

The Voice of St. Augustine Girls' High School.

The St. Augustine Girls’ High School annual awards ceremony was held on September 20^th, 2004- Founders Day. This year’s ceremony was certainly not what everyone had become accustomed to. It was quite the opposite with Mr. Teelucksingh at the frontline producing ripples of laughter among students and teachers alike with his Emmy award winning performance.

After such a lively opening, the business of the day proceeded with the presentation of certificates for General Proficiency, participation in sport, scrabble, steel orchestra, choir and other clubs. The much coveted and fiercely fought after Class Shield was awarded to Form 1Y. They were the recipients of this honourable award because of their outstanding performance during the school term and their outreach program with the Cyril Ross Home.

The program was punctuated with entertainment by past and present students. Ayana Jordan, our past head girl, gave a soulful interpretation of Yolanda Adams’ ‘Yet Still I Rise’ in dance. Shezral Nezbit rendered a poem and the choir touched the hearts of many with their rendition of the song ‘Let the Flowers Bloom Again’. The Steel Orchestra’s performance was energetic as always and they were commended for being the only the only secondary school steel orchestra to be featured on a new CD alongside Exodus and other renowned steel orchestras. If ya’ll didn’t know, now you know: our steel orchestra blazin’ hot!

Adeiye Pilgrim, outgoing head girl for 2004, received the award for ‘Student of the Year’. We all know that Adeiye is one of those girls who epitomizes the “Perfect SAGHS Girl” (although she probably would say otherwise, we know better) and she rightly deserved that award. She really is a role model for all of us especially since she stands out as being someone who has contributed much to school life at SAGHS. In spite of being the head girl with numerous responsibilities, she managed to maintain an average of over 70% in all terms in Lower Six (a feat every SAGHS girl tries-and usually fails-to achieve since it seems to require quite a Herculean effort!).

The ceremony ended with Mrs. Anderson giving her closing remarks. She was satisfied with the overall performance of all students during the academic year and noted that the school continues to live up to its motto “Per Ardua Ad Astra.” And so, another academic year came to an end and the new term was heralded in. What is there to look forward to this year? Well, you can certainly trust that The Astra will bring it all to you as it unfolds.

September 20^th, 2004 was an enjoyable and memorable day for the SAGHS community. This year we celebrate our 54^th anniversary and we want to treat you to a full history of our Alma Mater.

This prestigious institution was founded through the selfless contributions of Canadian Missionaries. The school was first located on the property that is now occupied by Archibald Institute on Austin Street and there were only forty-nine students and three teachers. In 1951,the school was relocated to Dr. Fostin’s house on the corner of Austin Street and Eastern Main Road. The following year, on the fifteenth day of August, the corner stone of the present building was laid at Evans Street. Since then, the school’s population has grown to over seven hundred students and thirty-six teachers.

The first choir was formed in 1954 and was conducted by Mrs. Guiseppi and was later directed by Ms. Lenore Mahase and in that same year our school hymn, “Unto the Hills”, was selected as a tribute to the blue majesty of the northern Range that forms a spectacular background to the school’s environment. Now you know why this is our school song. Ms. Samaroo joined the staff in 1956 and composed our school’s song.

In 1957 the house system was introduced. At that time there were only three houses: Beattie, Wagar, and La Hourie. Mahase and Guiseppi were added in 1961. This could explain why Mahase and Guiseppi are the most spirited houses (ahem, ahem) since they are the ‘younger’ houses. This is subject to quite a lot of objection but it’s just a thought. No bias is intended.

Our school’s auditorium, dedicated to Mrs. Anna Mahase in 1992, was formally opened in 1961. Mrs. Mahase was installed as principal in 1962 and on Friday 19, September 1997, Mrs. Kathleen Anderson was installed as principal and the legacy of excellence through hard work continues. We all know that our school not only excels academically, but also in sport and extra-curricular activities. In fact, our school was the first secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago to begin Carnival celebrations in 1964 (bet you didn’t know that!). We not only excel in at what we do but we also set trends for others to follow. Now I’m sure that you can find at least one reason to be proud of your school.

Everyone knows it. Some choose to acknowledge it and others simply cast it aside: Wagar is a team of strength, unity and success. As a loyal and proud Wagarian, it is a hobby to exploit this fact… but maybe I’ll do that another time. Instead, I have the honour of recognizing Wagar’s pillar of strength for the past twenty years.

Disguised as a teacher, Mrs. Bernadette Shrimatee Lackhan came to us as a leader and after thirteen years undercover, she took charge to fulfill her mission as House Mistress of Wagar. Strengthened by an eager troop of dedicated teachers, she proceeded to mould our minds until we firmly believed that Wagar existed even in the red of our blood that flows through our veins. Though baffled both by the unwavering loyalty of the former Beattian House Captain and her uncanny ability to tap into the dormant sources of house spirit within us, Mrs. Lackhan led us on to higher victories each year.

With her easy-going appearance it may seem that her shoes are easy to fill, however, quite contrary is the case since Mrs. Lackhan also has the arduous task of being a literature teacher. Imagine the torture of trying to gain the attention of thirty-something students of an “exciting” literature class. Now imagine having to hold the attention of the hundred and forty something Wagarians and furthermore, spur them on to believe in themselves, in their hard work and in their teammates. (Dat is stress!) But if anyone can do it, it’s Mrs. Lackhan.

On Monday, 8^th November 2004, Wagar House made an attempt to show the school how much Mrs. Lackhan means to us. We had a comic skit, a delicious cake, a special march in her honour and balloon-bursting celebrations.

We also presented her with a plaque and planted an African Tulip (which blooms red flowers throughout the year) near the goalpost on the football field. We will look towards it as we race to first place on Sports’ Day. Yet, our presentation was not enough since no skit, no plant and no amount of words can express how priceless her love and dedication to Wagar and SAGHS really is. 

THANK YOU MRS. LACKHAN!!!

This year as Wagar stands without our pillar, some may think that we are vulnerable and weak, but actually we are strongest because we will work harder and longer to make our House Mistress proud! We rest assured in the able hands of: Mrs. Mahadeo, Mrs. Harnanan, Mr. Ali, Ms. Dubrisingh, Mrs. Subar, Ms. Ali, Ms. Nakhid and Ms. Ramsundar. To them, I say a few words of encouragement as they undertake a great task and attempt to fill a large void:

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Divali was celebrated on the 11^th of November 2004 and the Hindu community at SAGHS was determined to upkeep the celebrations, this time with a vision to execute an informative and unforgettable program. The fantastic result could not have been possible without the help of Ms Mohan, Mrs. Motilal and Mrs. Bachoo-Ramsewak who devoted their time and effort in the often-hectic preparations.

The entire school population was invited into a luminescent auditorium, which was transformed to depict the splendor of Divali with dominantly red and gold Indian accessories. Viveka Pargass did the invocation in the form of prayer followed by Amoghalila Gangasingh with a beautifully executed devotional dance. In keeping with a strictly devotional theme a number of items followed: the audience was treated to melodious instrumental performance by Kreshma Maraj and Ms Ramsundar and serenaded by Shirvani Sookhai.  We were privileged to witness the talent of dance by Sarah Warris and Kaylaah Khan as well as the singing prowess of the enthusiastic Bhajan group.

Leading up to the highlight of the program was a skit depicting the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean), which resulted in the emergence of Mother Lakshmi, played by reigning Miss May fiesta Queen, the beautiful Lakshmi Dharrie-Maraj. As the goddess of light, love and prosperity, the Universal mother symbolizes the true sentiment of Divali: the triumph of light over darkness. Despite a few glitches in its operation the play was a success as it ended in a resounding performance of tassa to enhance the highlight of the play. The music was truly exceptional arousing the interest of the crowd as well a desire to dance in many.

The surprise was however far from over.

The program was scheduled to end with a feature address by an anonymous guest speaker. The term ‘guest’ became impertinent when we were pleasantly surprised by an enlightening address from our own Ms Mohan, Mrs. Ramphalie-Motilal and Mrs. Bachoo-Ramsewak. The closing prayer by Viveka followed, marking the end of a vibrant and successful Divali program, 2004.

Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago is truly unique. Imagine people of all creeds and races enjoy this festive season. We enjoy and share delicacies like pastels and ham (my personal favourite), decorate our homes and of course dance to the sweet sounds of parang.

Here at St. Augustine Girls’ High School it was no different- we shared food with our friends at our class parties, there was the piñata decorating competition (congratulations to Beatie house for placing first), we were even entertained by two parang bands- Con Amor and Los Paranderos de San George- on the day of our class parties, December 9^th. But perhaps the greatest Christmas entertainment was provided by our own steel orchestra at our annual Christmas concert which was held on the 8^th and 9^th of December within the spectacular ambiance of the Queen’s Hall, ahem, the auditorium (it looked better than Queen’s hall if I do say so myself. What with the dazzling angels and state of the art lighting system that transformed the stage into a seemingly magical platform! If only the disco could look like that!)

With captain Nadia Deyalsingh at the wheel and the twenty-four-person crew in charge, the audience was taken for quite a ride! The award winning orchestra wowed the audience performing many Christmas songs as well as non-seasonal songs such as Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’ and Wayne Wonder’s ‘No Letting Go’ (both arranged by Amrit Samaroo). One visitor was so impressed that he made a contribution of $5000.00 to the steel orchestra.

Many other SAGHS students also displayed their talent. The dance team put on a performance that would have blown the dance moves in ‘You Got Served’ into the ‘Worst Dance Moves’ hall of fame- it was that hot! Choreographed by our very own Tricia Blaize-Fergus, we know that great things are in store for our dance team (maybe even a music video….or maybe I’m getting a little carried away. I’ll stick to the Milo tournament). The Indian dance duo Mahive added a nice flavour to the program and they had the audience locked onto every sway of their hips while the SAGHS musical ensemble treated the audience to melodious renditions of traditional carols composed by Keoma Alexander and Roisha Edwards. The stage was even transformed into a catwalk, as the girls of Sixth form put on a fashion show that I’m sure would give the hottest designers of Milan a run for their money. In the words of the illustrious Paris Hilton, “that’s hot!”

The audience was humored by Yakira David's version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ cleverly entitled ‘A Christmas Parang’. Yakira David played the role of the grouchy Leroy Scrooge and our own Dr. Teelucksingh, oh! my bad, Ras, got involved playing a cameo role. On Wednesday night we were treated to the beautiful sounds of panist Roy Edwards and the parang band ‘Rebuscar’. Our very own nightingales, Natika Reddock, Diandra Roach and past student Janelle Archer, gave a very original and soulful rendition (as is their usual style) of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas’.

This year SAGHS really got into the Christmas spirit and celebrated in style. Let us not forget, however, the reason for the season and that is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him there would be no Christmas and we were reminded of this by our Christmas worship on the last day of school. In this time of merriment and festivities we did not forget why we celebrated. Have a holy and safe Christmas.

In today’s society, young people prefer to confide and share their problems with their friends rather than adults. The primary reasons for this is that their peers are at the same level of thinking, have similar experiences, have modern ideas, and therefore can empathize better. As a result, it has become necessary to have a Peer Helping Body within the school population.

Earlier this year, ‘Families In Action’ visited our school and conducted one-week courses for interested Fourth and Fifth Form students. At the end of the course, there was a substantial number of qualified peer helpers in areas such as self-esteem, communication skills, sexuality, spirituality, team work, goal setting, peer pressure and substance abuse.

At the ‘Families In Action’ Peer Helping Awards ceremony 2003-2004, SAGHS captured the challenge trophy for the ‘Most Creative Project’. The girls were determined to maintain this honour, so for the year 2004-2005, they are embarking upon innovative ways to keep their peers informed about issues affecting them, while making the presence of the peer counseling group felt throughout the SAGHS community.

Their first project for 2004-2005 took place on Friday 3^rd December 2004. Firstly, they put up thought provoking posters around the school. The program itself began with a fun icebreaker, which made everyone feel more comfortable. The second item tested communication skills when faced with pressure from a boyfriend to leave a party and have sex in a bedroom. Basic communication styles were demonstrated including social or ‘small talk’, control talk, search talk and straight talk, with the purpose of showing students effective ways to deal with ‘sticky’ situations.  

Later, the reality of STDs was brought home to the audience by participation in a game and visual aids showing the effects of STDs. This was followed by an interactive video where students were required to identify personality traits, emotions and dating practices and were informed about abstinence.

The program came to an end with thunderous applause and I’m sure that everyone left more informed about making positive choices. The peer counselors’ awareness day is only the start of a fun-filled and active year ahead, coordinated by the executive and members of the Peer Helping body. They plan to assign outstanding peer helpers to each class, so as to foster personal relationships between peer helpers and students. This would encourage mutual respect, trust and confidence. In addition, they hope to have question boxes in each class in which students can submit questions, problems and suggestions to be addressed by their respective peer helpers. A ‘Quote of the day’ will also be presented to each class as a source of motivation.

The Peer Helping Body is not here to advise, but merely to listen and by means of subtle guidance, to help their peers make wise decisions and positive choices. They are committed to making a difference in their peers’ lives and in their school, as they adhere to their motto, ‘It’s not who you are, but what you do.”

Your greatest joy?  ----- Playing football on the street.

Your secret fear? -----Insects.

The best advice you have received? ----- “Never give up!”

Your most embarrassing moment?  ----- I can’t remember.

Your happiest moment? ----- The time when I scored [won] a bicycle in a football match with my club Trincity Nationals.

The most attractive feature of a boy? ----- Sense of humour.

The biggest turn-off? ----- Bad breath.

The part of your body you like the most? ----- My nose.

The body part you would change if given the chance? -- I like the way God made me and I would like to stay the way I am.

At what age did you first start to play football? ----- At ten years old.

What is your dream profession? ----- To play football professionally.

The thing most people do not know about you? ----- I listen to tabanca music, heheee.

Your pet peeve? ----- Racism.

Your favourite food? ----- Italian.

Who do you admire the most and why? ----- My granny for tolerating me and having so much patience.

Which do you prefer, hockey or football? ----- My heart belongs to football.

Your personal credo? ----- Live without having regrets.

Your irresistible temptation? ----- Shoes.

The one place that you would like to visit before you die?----- MovieTowne… haha, just kidding.

Your most elusive goal? ----- At the moment, my goal is to become a national [football] player and represent T&T.

The SAGHS swim team has done extremely well for term one 2004. At the East Zone swim meet SAGHS was a force to be reckoned with. SAGHS swimmers placed in every event and some of our own won trophies! The team participated in the Hyundai Open Water Classic on 28 September 2004. The race was held at Maracas Bay. There were two races: the Junior race of 800m and the Senior race of 3000m. In the 800m, Chelseaia Charran of 1y was one of the finishers.

Her older sister, Ordessia Charran, Deputy P.E. captain and L6A student, placed fifth overall in the female category in the 3000m race. Adrielle Mahabir of 3Z also a participant in this competition, received a finishing medal. As Ordessia held her trophy, medal and a bottle of wine (not that we at the Astra or any swimming body condones the underage consumption of alcoholic beverages), she gasps and finally tells this Astra reporter, “I’m exhausted but exhilarated. I’ve survived kicks, elbow lunges, punches, scrapes and bites from the other swimmers. Nevertheless, I was determined to finish.”

This certainly was no easy feat for Ordessia Charran. The race is one lap around the entire Maracas Bay shorefront; an amazing distance when one considers that few have even walked from one end of the beach to the other.

In other swimming news, Brittany Stewart of 3Y represented Trinidad and Tobago in the National Long Course Championships. Last July she succeeded in breaking the 50m butterfly stroke record, with another swimmer, in a time of 00:31:16. Truly remarkable! Swimming is indeed a vibrant field of sporting activity in SAGHS.

Ordessia hopes that the success of the swim team will motivate the administration of the School to construct a swimming pool, a longtime pipe dream (no pun intended). Having such a pool, she says, will encourage more students to become involved in the low-impact, high-calorie burning sport. However, she laments the lack of supporters to witness the SAGHS team’s valiant efforts in their swim meets. She calls upon her fellow schoolmates to give something back to the school by joining or supporting the swim team. In the meantime, she hopes to write a book entitled, “A World Beneath the Water is Rising….”

The day the SAGHS football team was not eagerly awaiting turned out to be one of the most memorable days for, not only them but also, SAGHS sports enthusiasts.

The girls of the football team arrived at the grounds in Barataria at 2:30 p.m., an hour earlier than the scheduled time for the match. SAGHS has lost all previous matches against George’s (as they are commonly referred to). Therefore, they were not in high spirits. They were further dismayed upon seeing the opposing team already prepared for the match when they arrived.

The match began with enthusiasm and inspiration from the coach and the few supporters who were present. Our footballers looked the part of professional footballers although they were quivering in their shin-guards. However, after twenty minutes had gone, the unthinkable happened: SAGHS scored a goal! Jodie Archie, member of the team recalls, “I felt as though the heavens had opened for our team when the first goal was scored by Arielle. She really is our super striker.” The team and supporters were ecstatic.

With the game on their side, they began played with renewed enthusiasm and fervor. Precisely ten minutes later, another SAGHS striker, Shenelle Warick, scored a goal. Jodie Archie recalls, “Half time had approached and we were so eager that we did not want to come off the field.” During the second half St. George’s College tried in vain to score a goal but the game ended…..

This was truly an accomplishment for the football team. They were victorious for the first time in the history of al seasons, in defeating George’s. As expected the girls are now looking forward, with very high spirits, to playing George’s again next season. Their new attitude: “Bring it on!”

The world is changing dramatically before our very eyes. The natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and it is necessary to be informed of the events around us. Hence, this issue’s Geo Corner focuses on the topic of Natural Disasters.

HURRICANE

A severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains with a wind with a speed greater than 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. The 2004 hurricane season was quiet the first two months, until Bonnie, a tropical storm, hit. Then the four-hurricane procession started. The drumbeat of hurricanes followed with the savage Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, which spun out of the Atlantic Ocean storm factory and shot toward Florida during a rare sequence of natural bad luck.

TSUNAMI

A very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption

On Sunday 26^th December 2004, an unimaginable disaster devastated Sri Lanka, India, Sumatra, the Maldives and other small islands off the Indian coast. It resulted from an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 off the coast of Sumatra, which generated a series of waves. These tsunamis, up to 30 ft high, left a path of destruction and months of misery, disease and hunger for the miraculous survivors. The death toll has crossed 150 thousand and there are thousands missing. Efforts are being made worldwide to assist the unfortunate victims. Let us adopt up an attitude of compassion and join with the rest of the world to assist our brothers and sisters in Eastern Asia. Whatever you can do as an individual will go a very long way to bring comfort to the life of some unfortunate victim. Act now.

“My goal is to become the Under 19 Pan- American champion within the next two yeas, but my dream is to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008,” said Kerian Quan Chee, the broad shouldered, well built but pretty girl of Lower Six B.

Kerian is a National badminton player, having represented Trinidad & Tobago a total of times in international tournaments. “Some people see the sport as a recreational backyard game but it is one of the world’s fastest racket sports. The shuttle leaves the racket at speeds of up to 200km per hour at international matches. Matches can go up to one and a half hours! Believe me it’s no easy sport….it’s extremely physically demanding,” says Kerian with a look on her face that says it all.

Training is very rigorous and difficult for international games. Kerian trains six times per week. She spends three days at the courts and three days at the gym, for over two hours each session. At one of her training camps, she was forced to get out of her warm bed at 4 a.m. (imagine that!), driven to Maracas beach and had to run in the rain for fifty minutes. “I couldn’t stop. That was really painful. My legs got numb but I had to keep going,” she painfully recalled. Some backyard game, huh?

Many times she feels like giving up but her mother and her coach, Trevor Smith, encourage her along the way. She has been to international tournaments in Peru, Puerto Rico and here at home. Included in her stash of medals are three from Puerto Rico and one from an International tournament played in Trinidad. Next year she is off to Cuba, Jamaica and Canada for more international tournaments.

When asked how she started, Kerian said, “I played badminton with Mrs. Roberts in forms one and two and she really brought out my love for the sport.” From then on, she has been playing with her club in Chaguanas together with intensive training with her coach.

Kerian has accumulated 14 national titles including the elusive Triple Crown, which is gold in singles, doubles and mixed in her age category. *advice for the students, words of encouragement, success in school.

ALL ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED.

The winner will be featured in the next copy of The ASTRA. Guess the name of the teacher using this entry form. PRINT, fill in the names and submit to Mrs. Benjamin by 15^th June, 2005.

NAME of STUDENT ________________________ CLASS _____________

Mrs. S Williams-Ramlochan

Mrs. L Dharrie

Ms. M Lucas

Ms. S Ramsundar