Attorney General A J Nicholson, High Court Judge Paul Harrison, anthropologist Dr Erna Brodber, as well as noted academic and children’s rights advocate Dr Maureen Samms-Vaughan were among 15 outstanding alumni of the Excelsior High School who were honoured by their peers at a gala banquet and awards ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on November 23.

The function, attended by hundreds of past students and former teachers of the institution, marked the highpoint of the Homecoming Week to celebrate the school’s 75th anniversary, which is being observed with a year-long programme of activities that began in January 2006 and will culminate in January 2007.

The alumni awards, presented in three categories – Justice and Children’s Rights, Beacons in the Diaspora and Cultural and Community Development – recognise the professional achievements of past students who have attained national and international prominence in their careers; and whose performances favourably reflect their educational training.

Noted community development and gender worker and chairman of the awards committee, Linette Vassell, told guests at the function that “demonstrated interest in and loyalty to their alma mater, as well as achievements to which others could aspire” were among the criteria against which the recipients were selected.

Lifetime Awards were presented to Cynthia Powell, accomplished Biology teacher and widow of the school’s founder, Dr A Wesley Powell; and Lloyd Davis, a land surveyor and partner in the firm Allison Pitter and Company, who also serves on the school’s committee of Management and is a former president of the Past Students Association.

The vision and work of the late founder and principal, Dr Powell; the first principal of the EXED Community College, Ted Dwyer; as well as the outstanding national service given by two past students – distinguished folklorist Dr Louise Bennett-Coverley, and legal luminary and Government Senator Alfred Rattray, were also celebrated with posthumous Lifetime Awards.

Three former principals – Lindo Wong, Mark Loague and Sydney Fenton – headed the awards to nine teachers whose commitment to excellence influenced the lives of thousands of students.

A feature of the presentation ceremony was the announcement by the Past Students Association of the Louise Bennett-Coverley Award and Bursary, to be presented annually to the most outstanding student in the Performing Arts at the EXED Community College. Miss Lou’s stepson, Fabian Coverley, who lives in Canada, formally presented the award to Janice Murray, acting vice principal of EXED.

Excelsior alumna, faculty member at the Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, USA and motivational speaker, Dr Marcia Livingston, who was guest speaker at the function, challenged stakeholders in the institution to preserve its spiritual heritage while embracing “new strategies that will satisfy current needs without compromising academic quality and integrity”.

Commenting on the changing socioeconomic environment in Jamaica and the world, she said that “post-modernism, relativism, the erosion of moral absolutes, and a general malaise among many have done much to corrode the moral fibre of this and other institutions”.

“When people lack guidance, in other words, when parents are not parents to their children, when teachers fail to be teachers and when we cease to care about our school, we all contribute to moral decay,” Dr Livingston said.

In an address which focused on the theme “Back to the Future”, the multi-faceted educator, who has been listed in the Who’s Who Among American College Teachers, said progress in education occurred only when there was positive change in character and behaviour.

She supported her argument with a reference to the teachings of Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, who stated that the principal goal of education is the creation of men and women “who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done”.

Declaring that this was the essence of the dream that led to the founding of Excelsior, Dr Livingston noted that unity of vision, diversity of skills and leaders dedicated to raising students to their full potential were critical to the school’s continued success.

She said parents, teachers, students and alumni had a responsibility to keep Dr Powell’s dream alive. “No matter what we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, it can be recovered, rejuvenated, preserved and be made a legacy,” Dr Livingston insisted.