WESTERN BUREAU - Come next year September, for the first time in its 79 year-old existence, the Franciscan Sisters, an order of Roman Catholic nuns will not operate the Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay.

Sister Angella Harris

According to the principal of the institution, Sister Angella Harris, their withdrawal resulted from a steady decline in the number of ladies who have offered themselves to be inducted in the convent.

Getting help.

"When I entered the convent in 1985 there were over 40 sisters in the island now there are about 23 of us and most sisters are over 65 years old now, it's a matter of personnel being short," she noted.

"We have 12 schools on the island and most schools are without a sister principal now," she added also pointing out that the dwindling amount of persons entering the convent or the priesthood was not unique to Jamaica. The depreciation she commented was a general occurrence in the Western Hemisphere.

Members of the Mt Alvernia staff. (Photos: Conroy Walker)

"You find that persons entering the convent and priesthood now are mostly from Eastern Africa, the Philippines, India and South America; but you see a shift at the turn of the 20th century," Sister Harris said.

In the absence of the sisters, the bishops of the Diocese of Montego Bay will take over the reigns at Mount Alvernia.
Despite her impending departure from the school, the Roman Catholic nun is confident that the school will continue to do well.

Mt Alvernia girls during a CXC exam.

"Not I alone run the school, you have a team of teachers who have worked hard here. When I leave the same teachers that are here will maintain the same standard and continue to work hard," she argued.

According to recent data, based on their performance in the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Mount Alvernia proudly sits among the top 10 schools in the nation.
For the school's head teacher the school's good showing came as no surprise to her.

Mt Alvernia girls listen attentively during a class.

"The matter of us being in the top 10, with all the quarreling about what is faulty with the survey, nothing is going to be perfect, but I know that as a school we have done well especially over the past four years," she claimed.

She attributes this improvement to the steady effort at improving the quality of teaching and the quality of learning at the school which was founded by the Franciscan Sisters out of New York in 1925. She thought that this level of progress started four years ago.

"What we are seeing now is improvement that we have experienced not just this year; we have been doing well for three four years now. It's is not something that Montegonians know, they know that Mount Alvernia is here, they know we have done pretty well over the years but I don't think anybody realise that we have been doing that well," she noted.

Harris disclosed that four years ago she requested "appreciable funds" from the board to finance a staff retreat.
This was the first of what was to become an annual event. During these retreats, there were spiritual inputs on the Sunday mornings. In addition to the discussions centred on how to raise the professional level of teachers and how to improve staff morale, plus finding ways of motivating students to learn.

Another factor that has impacted positively in the school's recent academic success was getting senior teachers to work as part of the management staff.

"We can't manage without senior teachers pulling their weight - we have more than one workshop with senior teachers just to have them change their perception of their role as senior teachers. If they don't monitor things in their department, I can't do it for me," remarked Sister Harris.
"Out of the blue I would send for all lesson plans to look at them, to make sure that they are written and also to make sure that the senior teachers have checked them too. Senior teachers must see themselves as part of administration," she further remarked.

The 44 year-old teacher started teaching Mathematics at Mount Alvernia in 1989. Two years later she became the vice principal and was appointed principal in 1995.

During this time she has never been tempted to surrender her role. She is, however, of the view that given the job's rigorous demands she would not be able to cope for any extended period.

"It's not healthy for anybody to be in this work for 20 years, you can burn yourself out being a principal. In former years when children did not give so much trouble and teachers were more professional - but not so now," she stated.

One of the things that has heartened the devout Roman Catholic sister is the fact that during her tenure at the school, reported conflicts have been very minimal. This she ascribes the school's policy of intolerance on disputes.

She explained that Jamaicans loved to watch fights, therefore a strategy was put in place to "nip it in the bud" before any physical contact is made.

On the other hand she is disheartened at the parents who she strongly believes are not coping with their parental responsibilities.

"They are not managing," she bemoaned. Parents are not monitoring their students enough. And it is nonsense when parents call their children on a cellular phone to find where they are. How can a cell phone can tell where a person is?" she questioned.

In spite of the challenges and the odds faced, Sister Harris believes her sacrifices were never in vain.

"Never, never: a lot of my energies and will power comes from the fact that I have built on a tradition of what other sisters before me laid," she told TeenAge.

Good support in Bounty Hall for Heineken's 'Bond' road show

Opera star to sing for the Ward

This is the century for the person of colour — Judge Joe Brown