The Saint Lucia Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Academy is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. It opened its doors in September 1964, when Saint Lucia had primarily two secondary schools.
The significance of this achievement back then was noteworthy in that more of Saint Lucia’s children who otherwise would have been left behind due to inadequate infrastructure in the education system, found an avenue to go beyond a mere primary school education.
The Academy today stands tall amongst secondary school institutions on the island, having taught thousands of Saint Lucians many of whom are recognised today as leaders in their respective life-long pursuits and careers. However, the birth of the school was not an easy one. Its labour pains were real and agonising, but determination and unfailing faith in the Almighty God grounded all who were resolute that the Academy would become a reality. And so today it stands as a testament of faith.
How the school became a reality, and how it grew through the decades to become a leading secondary institution in Saint Lucia makes fascinating reading, knowledge every man and woman who passed through its portals should possess.
Throughout the school’s blueprint is the unmistakable hand of God guiding those who felt that Saint Lucia needed more Christian education at the secondary school level not just for the young people attending the SDA Church at the time but for the youth in the community as well who not only desired that type of education but needed it at the time.
The school’s mission statement today encapsulates perfectly the thinking of its founding fathers. They aspired to provide a holistic educational product in a safe environment, conducive to academic excellence and outstanding service, through the spiritual, social and physical nurturing of students.
And so, with the words of Philippians 4:13 pulsing through their veins, the school’s founding fathers started discussions to bring into reality an educational institution that would stand apart from the already two established Catholic secondary schools on the island back then, namely the St Mary’s College and the St Joseph’s Convent.
Lionel Spooner’s Caribbean Preparatory Institute, a privately owned post-primary institution also offered secondary-level education back then.
In the annals of the school’s history, six names stand out, men who it has been said, “stood in faith and made significant sacrifices” to bring into reality the SDA Academy. They were known as men of faith who placed themselves and their families at financial risk so that a complete Seventh-day Adventist secondary school could be established in Saint Lucia.
The school, up to today, continues to show its appreciation to those six men who made the financial contributions needed to house the Academy. The names of the six men who stood tall at the time were Robert French, Andrew Duplessis, Hanson Joseph, Bernard Joseph, St. Ville Brice and Pastor David Mc Calla.
“Reflecting on the sacrifice of these dedicated individuals reminds us of how grateful we have to be for the existence and resilience of this school,” noted the school’s website.
Because of the overwhelming demand for placements, the school back then operated a shift system which significantly increased the number of young Saint Lucians in need of a secondary education.
But before moving to its newly purchased building on L’Anse Road in Castries the SDA Academy began as an extension to the SDA Church primary school which back then was located at Waterworks Road offering classes for only forms ones and twos, but the growing demand propelled the school to expand.
According to information received by this writer “During the second year of providing secondary education at Waterworks Road, concrete plans were made to institute an Academy at L’Anse Road. The property used to house the school was rented for the first two years, and then purchased by the Board of Management in an unprecedented fashion. A few years later, lands were purchased at Sunny Acres and the Secondary School was constructed there in 1977.
The Waterworks building was sold and the church and pre-school moved to High Street. The L’Anse Road structure was then used for the Primary School when the Academy moved to Sunny Acres.”
It was recorded that at the end of the first year, the Government allowed the students to take the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) examination at which they performed remarkably well.
The SDA Academy, over the years, has seen highs and lows in student enrolment and academic achievement. This year, the school recorded a Stella performance in the CSEC Examinations obtaining 100 per cent passes in 14 out of 20 subjects and an overall percentage of 88.5 per cent. This gives the SDA Academy even more reason to celebrate its 60-year milestone.
Furthermore, with the students who passed through the school’s door, there have always been experiences of spiritual fulfilment. The quality of the Christian education the school pushes continues to grow with each passing year – grooming qualities that are still seen in former students. Those men and women reflect the school’s vision, which is to produce students and graduates who reflect Christ’s excellent character, giving competent service to God and man.
The Academy’s aim “Onward, Upward Always”, is one which it has not lost sight of as it continues to score big in the island’s external exams and bigger still with the men and women who after graduation moved on to become experts in various fields such as medicine, engineering, teaching, pastoring, business, media, government, law, construction, management and many other areas.
No doubt sixty years is worth getting excited about. It is worth a celebration because the school has made an impact, not only nationally but beyond Saint Lucia as well.
The diaspora is teeming with qualified graduates in almost every recognised field of work, many of whom continue to highlight the contribution which the school has made in their lives.
The school has marked out this weekend of September 21st and 22nd as the launch of its 60th-anniversary celebrations which commences with a grand thanksgiving service at the National Cultural Centre this Saturday, commencing at 9:00 am. The afternoon service commences at 4:00 pm and will culminate with an evening social from 8:00 pm. All events will be held under the theme, “Saint Lucia SDA Academy, 60 years strong and growing …inspiring minds, shaping futures”.