Hello and welcome to the April blog! The drought drags on though June is fast approaching. June is the official start to the rainy season. June also "shows in" the hurricane season! Meanwhile we slowly drift into heavier, more prolific showers. Not lengthy, substantive ones though! We use the car air-conditioning very little except when we are driving around in the somewhat heavy odours of St. George's! Now we seem to use it every day in the early afternoon; we also give heartfelt thanks each time we manage to keep the inside to somewhere around 25c! To balance all of this I'd like to tell you about the farewell beach party that the good people of Belair P.C. threw for Sandra Smith prior to her return to Canada on the 3rd of May. We had a lovely day, good food; good "bathing"; good stories; the clock raced from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Then several things happened together almost at once. The tide changed, rain fell, the wind increased in velocity and suddenly we were both cold! It was cold enough to get inside the car for shelter. Will it happen again soon? Not in the next few years most likely!
Our backyard at the manse continues to develop and grow. The showers have turned everything green. We are assured by Dannie who looks after our outside work that by the end of June the place will be ankle deep in grass and that the hedge cuttings and some other flowering bushes will be coming along very nicely. Meanwhile, mangoes and breadfruit 
fall around our ears. The local version of cherries, plums and sugar apples are plentiful while the "new" or "continuing" crop of bananas, lemons and limes hang on trees waiting for a juice blender to "come by". Personally I'm spoiled forever by the abundance of the fresh produce around us. What haven't we tried? Some vendors, particularly in schools, sell sugar-cane water; it comes in a small plastic bag that can be sucked on, it costs only a few pennies. It is flavoured with what looks like those flavoured drink crystals which are notorious for being very sweet in themselves! Anyway, the crystals change the sugar-cane water colour to orange, lime, raspberry and rainbow hues. Not only is it a "pick me up" it is also what a good percentage of the children use as a snack or a treat during school breaks. Enough said!
Finally let me try to tell you about a bird I saw the other day. It was dancing on a branch of our plum tree. It was moving in calypso rhythm from one foot to another, moving its head, breast and tail as it flipped rain all over itself. The bird was showering in the gently falling rain. Its wings opened and flapped occasionally sending water over it in different directions while it rearranged its feathers in their proper place. On top of all this it was singing its heart out for its Creator. Praise indeed, Lord, and thanks indeed!
I haven't written much on the history of MacDonald College. I borrowed a history of the formative years of MacDonald from the Principal, so I will keep this as factual as possible. The history I have was written by the first Principal Mr. W.R.L. Friday, B.A. Dp. Ed. He was principal of the college three times and writes of the years from 1963-1973. The history records the aims and objectives of the school, "It should be a school with a high moral tone, a religious atmosphere and good teaching." Marli was finally chosen for the site of the school and the land was purchased from the Ferguson family for a "special price". Friday notes that from the beginning, "vision, enthusiasm, hard work and an inspired and inspiring team guided by the Good Lord Himself all dedicated to satisfying a burning need and to providing a Secondary School on the hill at Marli." The writer also notes "what quiet pride must have gripped Dr. MacDonald as he saw wonder after wonder unfolding itself before his eyes as the school project moved on from fulfillment to further fulfillment".
Mr. Friday's history tells us that the Presbyterian Church in 
Grenada (PCG) appealed to the Church overseas to help with the start up and set up of the College. The appeals, however, "were only made after the local church had satisfied itself that it had made a start and had laid the foundations for the Project". The Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago of which the PCG was a part was approached for assistance as was the United Church of Canada.
Earlier yet, in 1959, the following prayer was adopted by the Prayer Circle dedicated to the founding of the College:
"O God, Creator, Redeemer, Preserver of our lives, the Font of every blessing, the source of all that is good, strong and enduring, we praise and thank thee for the power and privilege of prayer. We bring to thee the ordinary concerns and the special projects of our life, making mention of our plans to erect a school which will further the education of youths and maidens. As we consult on this matter, may we be guided by the good spirit, the spirit of Truth and Wisdom. Enable us to see such an Institution in the light of eternity, as well as in the light of time. By thy grace may we plan wisely and well, relying upon thy sufficiency for every need of ours."
The College was formally opened at 10:00 a.m. on Monday the 21st of January, 1963. Twenty-seven pupils (fifteen girls and twelve boys) were admitted to the First Form from a total of over fifty that applied. The curriculum included, English, Latin, Geography, Current Affairs, General Science, Arithmetic, Geometry, Art, History and Scripture. There were three teachers, Mr. Friday, Ms. Najack and Rev. Sharma. School met from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The afternoon session from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. was devoted to games, home work preparation and other social activities.
From 1963 to 
1966 the College grew steadily. There was also an increase in staff. That composition of the staff is interesting. Rev. and Mrs. Salthouse came in 1963, Mr. Donald Taylor also. 1964 brought David and Norma Wright from Canada under the auspices of CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas) and George Boldeau transferred from Samaritan Primary School (another PCG school). 1965 saw the addition of Victor Nelson and Anselm Franas. 1966 brought Fedora Grant fresh from the University of the West Indies and Margot and Shane Curry from Canada also under the auspices of CUSO.
The years of 1967 – 1970 are termed the "Turbulent Years" by Mr. 
Friday. In August 1967 there was a change in Government. Mr. Friday became a Member of Parliament, but he sat on the opposition benches. A new Principal of the College was appointed in September 1969 and dismissed in March of 1970. Rev. Salthouse was placed in charge but there was "engineered" opposition to Salthouse and he was forced to resign from his responsibility and close the school. Mr. Friday was hastily recalled to the school as the Principal's Deputy in April of 1970.
The new Government took umbrage to Mr. Friday's recall and "acquired" the School "in reprisal". Mr. Friday became the central figure in the controversy. It was demanded that he either resign from the Government or from the School but the pupils and parents remained in strong support of him as did the Christian Council. There were protest demonstrations in which other Secondary School students took part. Soon student power became victorious and the College was returned to its "freedom fighters". In the words of Rosemarie Charles "The issue is not now whether or not MacDonald College remains Presbyterian or is acquired by Government but rather; what is the will of God for us all in this day and age?"
To round off the school year of 1970 the first "really big Graduation Ceremony" was staged on "June 30, 1970, ending that year on a note of high achievement." The School was also "poised to leap to greater heights in the new year, beginning September 1970."
It is also worth noting that girls represented sixty-three percent of the school role while boys accounted for thirty-seven percent at this time.
Mr. Friday's final paragraph in his history is worth quoting verbatim, it was written in January 1973:
"MacDonald College was the dream of the church and became the product of toil and sweat; today – ten short years later – it is the pride of the Administrative Committee, Principal and Staff, and all those who administer and teach; it is the alma mater of hundreds of young men and women who have been nurtured within it; it is the envy of many who would wish to see it destroyed, but, thank God it remains the hope of the future and a beacon to those who seek excellence in all things, and will live on, with its banner in maroon and grey fluttering above its ten acres of campus green reading boldly as it has ever read:
SALTANDA ALTA PETIMUS
My translation of the motto sounds like this. "We seek to leap great heights". The internet helped with my rusty Latin!
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a seed which grows. Growing and developing are sure signs of life; an absence of change surely points to an organisation being moribund. So if the church or society wants to stay the same it still must change. Faith grows yet in growing also changes. Even as I become more familiar with the youth of Grenada I know that the way I see them will determine the way I work with them. I am also very aware that when I deny my very own condition I, albeit harshly, resist anything in others that might remind me of who I really am. Jesus also said that I shouldn`t be afraid. He did not say I shouldn`t have fears! So can I speak and act instead from a place of honesty about being fearful rather than from the fear? Lord, I know it is what you taught. It's my old problem, can I follow?
