From The American Chapter

Third Annual dinner dance greetings

 Merl Grove’s Past Students.  I bring you greetings

 We are honored by your presence.

It is great to be a part of a legacy that hails such stalwarts as Miriam and Nathan Speid. Muriel Lynch. Enid Kerr, J. Barbara Martin, Ellorine W
alker and many more still in the making

This year it is our great pleasure to have with us two such stalwarts, Our honorary Member Mrs. Joyce Taylor OD and our Honoree, Miss Enid Robotham who taught more than PE and History respectively but indeed taught us respect, courtesy and honesty.

Yes Honesty! Sometimes their honesty was brutal, and some if not all of us may have gotten offended once or twice during our career MerlGrove.

But their honesty taught us to be honest and that we earn respect by being respectful to others and of ourselves. They taught us not only to aggressively follow our dream, but to be mindful of others in doing so. The lessons learnt at Merl Grove have served us well throughout our Careers and have taken us to heights we would never have imagined while learning these valuable lessons.

Yet here we are, Past Students from all over the world, one goal, one aim one mission. That mission being, to give back of ourselves to School and country.   To pay our good fortune, forward.

We are here tonight because we are not only living the dream, we are making sure that our little sisters also has a chance to dream, to learn and to become the best Citizen of the world that they can be. We are also taking it one step further. We are making certain that these same students, not only maintain their high grade level but also that they possess the Character and the inner passion, to, when their day come also have the mind set to pay it forward. One by one, Child by Child we hope that they not only receive the legacy of giving but have the means by which to do so. In this way a strong and United Country will be built and maintained.

This past year we handed out 8 very well deserved Scholarships, for the coming year, we stand ready to up that to 12 students.

Above and beyond this, The NEAC has

Committed to other projects within the Merl Grove Community, we have donated supplies to build a better Home Economic department, to upgrade the Library with books obtained on a book drive directed by Judith Brooks or should I say Dr. Judith Brooks.

Dr. Jean Welsh, Marie Beans, Andrea Robinson, Claudette Knight, Elizabeth Briscoe, Norma Williams, Paula Howard and Andrea McDonald Black have also sponsored a child.

Myrna Brown has started the Enid Rhone Lunch program where one child is sponsored for a free lunch each day.

Our message this year is one of thankfulness for you without whose support none of the above would have been possible. Thank you all and God’s richest blessing be bestowed on you as your giving has truly blessed us.

Andrea McDonald Black

Fleeting pictures of Merl Grove High
 

Fleeting pictures of my childhood friends
Days that we wish would never end
Playing hockey with sticks flying wild
Mrs. Taylor yelling, what’s wrong with this child?
Ladies sticks must be held down
Or from this game you will be thrown
The netball girls they were all that
Until Ardenne took them to the mat
Sientate, silencio, was Ms. Barnett cry
Just before the chalk would fly
Claudette’s dozing off again
Would drive the teachers near insane
McDonald sticking paper in her nose
To the back of the class, oops, there she goes
Holding her ears and yes the toes 

Beyond the frolic of Merl Grove girls
Pictures were painted of unchartered worlds
Mrs. Grant made literature come to life
The words of the Bible as sharp as a knife
Zoë Dumas, she was no slouch
From her piercing stare you could not crouch
Enid Robotham and Marina Chan
You could never be sure of their plan
Homework metered out in due measure
If done right you had gain their pleasure
What treasures in our head they stored
Memories that our hearts adored
Mrs. Martin it’s with great pride I say
I would not have had you any other way
You are a legend to our alma mater
Each of us thinking we were your favorite daughter.
Shirley Thompson, you were asked to fill big shoes
And with Merl grove spirit you paid your dues
Dr. Alfred Sangster a man among men
To the alumni worldwide you are a Godsend
Amy Allen, of you it is said
Merl grove gained much in your staid
It is with great thanks and sincere appreciation
We build our alumni in two great nations
In honoring you tonight, we honor ourselves
Dusting off our memories that once we shelved
Shady terrace heard all our secrets told
As dreams in innocence we unfold
With love you have nourished all our souls
And with great pride we strive to fulfill your goals
How great are our powers to do what is good
Built on the principles for which you all stood
Teachers, behold! Your students form days of yore
Be proud that you made us want to do that much more
To make our worlds better than it was before
Thank you Oh sages from our living past
Seems we have come full circle at long last

                            Andrea McDonald-Black