Minister recalls QC athletics, education starts as pavilion opens

Queen’s College alumna and star athlete Kay McConney officially opened the Queen’s College Sports Pavilion on Friday — as Minister of Education  — praising the efforts of fellow alumnae Vivian Gittens, Angela Simpson and Professor Ann St. John in making the pavilion a reality.

“This pavilion allows us to remember our school song,” said the minister. “Life is a road to tread, in dust and labour and heat, but the light shines over our head, and the thought of the goal is sweet.”

At a ceremony to unveil a plaque commemorating the occasion, she praised the support of alumni and friends — including British pop legend Sir Cliff Richard — in securing funds for the project. She noted that their advocacy with the government emphasised their role as true champions while praising the school’s high standards.

“This school afforded me an athletic scholarship, one of the earliest that Queen’s College has had, so that I could further my education. It provided me with a pathway to stand at this podium today,” she said. “There is no doubt that my journey and that of many others have been significantly impacted by the sports and the physical education programmes of this school, as well as the academic programmes and the support from a teacher who saw in me something special, as many teachers will see in many of you something special.”

The education minister noted that the introduction of physical education and sport at the CAPE advanced studies level demonstrated a responsiveness to students’ interests and talents.

McConney said: “I feel encouraged by the work that this school continues to do, especially as it continues to evolve as an institution where academic performance is strong and excellence is ingrained in a high-performance culture. This is most commendable and I extend congratulations to all who contribute to that, who have added value and who continue to add value to the building of this institution. Maintaining these high standards is imperative across all schools, not just Queen’s College but across the entire educational system.”

She further suggested there was a need for transformative education while applauding the students who were involved in enhancing the pavilion through the Caribbean Vocational Qualification programme.

“We must applaud them for their involvement in the preparation of this space,” said McConney. “You are going to see here some stepping stones that have aesthetically enhanced the pavilion. These were done on this campus by the students as part of their Caribbean Vocational Qualification programme.   This, too, is transformational because there was a time many of us here will remember when technical and vocational could not possibly be mentioned as a part of the landscape of Queen’s College.

“We now have academics, technical and vocational. Standards in equal esteem in this school.  It is part of the transformation that we need. And I want to say to the students, that you who were a part of building the stepping stones you were able to use your mathematical and scientific skill sets to produce 100 Stepping Stones within the last two weeks. I am so proud of what you have done,” McConney said.
(RG)