PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

      
 Andrea McDonald-Black
        Class of '71      

 

Welcome to the website of the MGHS PSA North Eastern American Chapter 2006. 

I hope that all who visits this website will take away just a little more knowledge of Merl Grove High school past and present.

I take great pride and pleasure in the accomplishments of this Chapter in just one short year. From our inception we set goals both short term and long term, individual and collective. We have met all of our goals set for the first year and I daresay with the hard work and tenacity of the Board of Directors and a growing and thriving membership we have even surpassed some of them.

Our first major fundraiser was our gala event held in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington DC. It was a very successful event in that it netted us the funds necessary to meet our single most important goal. That is the founding of the Shakara Harris Scholarship fund. From this fund we were able to offer four very bright and very deserving current students full tuition.

The gala night is to be our annual event held the first Saturday in July, with an MGHS Alumni Jerk fest after the ball on the first Sunday. Information on both will be posted on this site in our Current Events section. Pictures of all our events will be posted in the Family Album section.

Congratulations to all who participated in Merl Grove’s 80^th anniversary homecoming celebration in November 2005. The week was well put together by the three Chapters, the members of the staff and Board of Merl Grove High as well as the current student body. A slide show of the event is available on this site in the family Album, courtesy of Carolyn Goulbourne. For all those who attended, the memory will live in our hearts forever. The next homecoming celebration will be in 2010 but please visit the school, volunteer your time and funds and help to make at least one child succeed.

During the weeklong celebrations we were able to help in the production and presentation of a scroll depicting life at Merl Grove from it's birth in 1924 thru 2005. This scroll was presented by the late Elsie Sayle our then, oldest living Merl Grovian along with Elsie Wesson. The scroll was co presented by the youngest Merl Grovian at the time to the theme from Chariots of Fire.

Our four scholarships were presented to the awardees on Prize Giving day. Career day found many of our members mentoring to current student on their individual careers. Elizabeth Briscoe-Burton was well received as a Civil Engineer expert, as was Paula Cole Howard in Accounting, Paulette Cole Ergus in Law Enforcement, Claudette Knight in Nursing and health care, Andrea McDonald-Black in food and nutrition and the administrative side of being an  Executive Chef, Jean Welsh Medical Doctor. It was a supremely rewarding day and you are all encouraged to go to the school whenever possible and just share your knowledge with our young sisters

Gala night was also a landmark occasion for the North Eastern American Chapter as well as the entire Merl Grove community. We were instrumental in establishing the Merl Grove Hall of fame known as the "wall of fame" Elsie Sayle was deservedly among the first 10 honorees as were, The Hon. Aloun Ndombet Assamba, Joyce Taylor (honorary member and motivational speaker of the NEAC), J. Barbara Martin, Alfred Sangster, Chairman of the Board, Nathan Speid, Miriam Speid, Albert Karram, Edith Rhone 

Goals still to be achieved for the NEAC includes:

• Refurbishing of the Enid Kerr library
• This year we plan to award 8 Scholarships in the name of Shakara Harris.
• Building a tennis court and redoing the present netball courts

What we are doing:
Some of our members have also taken on individual projects.

1) Mrs. Myrna Brown has instituted the Edith Rhone Lunch bursary, where she will put up funds to feed at least one student for the entire year. This is to honor Mrs. Rhone an outstanding ancillary worker for many years. Mrs. Rhone herself has fed many when their parents could not afford it.

2) Andrea Robinson, Marie Beans Gilliam and Claudette Knight  will be adopting a student under the Scholarship plan

3) Paula Cole Howard have sent the 'bare necessities ' supplies above and beyond our Scholarships so that students who may not be able to afford the tools necessary in their daily work i.e pens, notebooks, crayons, glue etc. will be able to get these on a needs basis

4) I have adopted the home economics department and have sent items necessary to the daily training of the students, such as cookbooks, knives, thermometers and other accessories. I would encourage all of you to adopt a department and or a child. In a speech given by Minister Aloun N’dombet Assamba a past student, and current Minister of Tourism and Industry last May at the Toronto Chapter’s dinner dance; she emphasized the need to mentor current students. Visit the school, talk to the students develop relationships, make yourself accessible for advice and leadership. Share your most important asset, yourself. It is incumbent on all of us to share with the little ones our experience and wisdom.

As we build our team we embrace the meaning of same “Together Each Achieve More!”
It is my fervent hope that you will join us in our quest to make Merl Grove as strong and proud as she has always been. As the saying goes “every mickle mek a muckle”

Hope to see you all This July!

Andrea McDonald-Black

President

‘Praise we our school, it’s work, it’s play, oh praise
Our song of pride, let’s all unite to raise;
For sport and song, for thought and skill,
It’s honored name be known’
 
With all this in mind the Merl Grove Past Students Association North Eastern American Chapter (MGHS PSA NEAC) wishes to invite you to become a member, if you are living anywhere within the United States of America.

 

Allow me to present our Scholarship recipients 2005 thru 2007

 Whendie hudson

Tisahwa Robinson

Chenielle lamey

Nastacia Nunes

Rasheeda Whyte

Monika Haughton

Monique Dawkins