The rain could not keep away scores of educators, parents, students and well-wishers who turned up at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel to honour educator, Alethia Jean Whyte, last Thursday.

The retired principal of the John Mills Infant Primary and Junior High School in Kingston gave 40 years to the profession. Her retirement in March marked 37 years at the institution, 20 of which were spent as its principal.

Her professional journey began, when she was fresh from high school in 1960, as a classroom teacher at Montego Bay Boys’ School, St James. Three years later she attended Shortwood Teachers’ College where her focus on mathematics, science and physical education saw her graduating in 1963 with an honours diploma.

During the recent ceremony in her honour, Whyte was lauded by school board chairman, Astley Beckford, who described her as a true professional who moved the school to unprecedented levels of prominence.

There were also tributes from the education ministry, Jamaica Teachers’ Association, teachers’ credit union, past colleagues, college batch mates and the Parent Teachers Association. She was lauded as an astute educator and an advocate of justice.

The former principal considers herself one of the school’s pioneers as in 1963, when she joined the staff as a trained teacher, the new school was only three months old.

“So I can proudly say I am one of the pioneers, I have grown with the school and I am very proud, humbled and honoured to have been the third principal in its 39-year history,” she said proudly.

She said she had no regrets about her commitment to the education system for the four decades she had served.

“Some people will be surprised to hear me say that. Though I went in as a trained teacher to educate young minds, I leave this noble profession with a wealth of learning and knowledge about the thousands of young people with whom I was privileged to interact. Therefore, I leave the profession for another stage of life with no regrets as I take with me an abundance of riches in terms of my certainty that in most things, I did my best and it is a beautiful thought, this reality that the spirit and well-being of all my students might in some way be assured by virtue of our contact.”

She will spend her retirement, she said, “taking a well-deserved rest, discovering the beauty of Jamaica, travelling abroad and gardening”.