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A solid start - Celebrating the Centenary of Calabar High (Part II)

Published:Monday | October 3, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Calabar's 1927 Manning Cup side. - contributed
In this Gleaner file photograph, Calabar old boys, Dr Philip Sherlock (left), one-time vice-chancellor at the University of the West Indies, and Vernon Arnett, a former finance minister, shoot the breeze at a cocktail party in 1960.
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With the official opening of Calabar on September 12, 1912 by J.R. Williams, director of education, the Baptists had finally established a high school to provide "a thoroughly modern education in a definitely religious atmosphere" (School Prospectus).

The First Students

Thirteen sons of Baptist ministers were the first students to enrol. Then, at the suggestion of the Reverend W.A. Graham of The Scots Kirk, the scope of operations was expanded to provide secondary education for the progeny of fraternal ministers as well. The enrolment increased to 29 as Presbyterian, Methodist and Moravian ministers seized the opportunity to enrol their sons at Calabar.

All 29 turned out on the first Monday for school. Deeply aware of the extent of the family investment in their education, they all arrived with a sense of mission, conscious of their role as pioneers and makers of history.

While most of the students were boarders, some parents found the boarding fees of £30 a year a drain on the family purse and found it more economical to have their sons stay with relatives in the city and walk to school each day. Although Calabar was identified with the 'class on the rise', the school welcomed all social classes and the multiracial student body broadened the social base of the school and facilitated the building of lasting friendships across colour and class lines.

Getting Started

In those early years, it took a superhuman effort to get the school off to a sound start. Price led by example, combining the roles of headmaster, mentor, foster parent and disciplinarian. His wife took on the duties of matron, foster mother, confidante and counsellor.

Davis became the Mr Fix-It that the fledgling institution desperately needed, finding a solution for every problem. Price described him as a man "who talks to himself in Hebrew and dreams in Syriac ... a colleague who can trace a recalcitrant half-penny through pages of a balance sheet ... devises most intricate timetables for the school and puts himself down for every period." Four other members of staff assisted Price and Davis in delivering a curriculum which included Latin, French, Greek, mathematics, elementary science, drawing and drill.

Philosophy of Education

The school quickly developed an intellectually stimulating environment, which was enhanced by the presence of the distinguished Oxonian, Elliott Dodds, the history teacher who was also a leader of the Liberal Party in Britain. Vernon Arnett, one of the early students, recalled that his frequent conversations with 'Old King D', as Davis was affectionately called, stimulated his interest in the British labour movement. Simultaneously, the location of the school in proximity to the working-class community of Jones Pen, and the participation of the boys in community outreach programmes broadened their social perspective.

The learning environment at Calabar placed equal emphasis on academic excellence, the inculcation of Christian values, sportsmanship on the games field and community engagement. Calabar's philosophy of education was eloquently endorsed by an outstanding old boy, Philip Sherlock, during his tenure as headmaster of Wolmer's:

"The work of a school should not be judged simply by examination results or honours on the field of sport ... . It should be assessed by something bigger and something more vital ... what it had given to the world ... and its varied and manifold contribution to the enrichment of Jamaican life." (Daily Gleaner, 1937).

The Indispensable Role of Caning

The cultivation of a liberal intellectual environment at Calabar did not exclude the generous use of the cane to maintain discipline and exert authority. The story of Bob Henry's transfer from Cornwall to Calabar in1929 is illuminating. By Henry's own testimony, he had given so much trouble at Cornwall that at the end of 1928, his headmaster advised his father to make other arrangements for the completion of his son's high-school education.

His father secured a transfer for him to Calabar, and when he went to collect a letter of introduction to his new headmaster, he was given a caning as a parting gift from his old headmaster, who no doubt reflected on his misdemeanours over the years, some of which may have escaped punishment. During his entry interview with Headmaster Price, Henry remembers Price groaning in apparent pain as he read the letter. Then, to his surprise, he saw Price take out his cane and sternly instructed him to "bend over". Many strokes later, his admission to Calabar was complete.

Arnold Bertram is a Calabar old boy and former Cabinet minister. He is a historian currently writing 'A History of Calabar High School', to be published as part of the centenary celebrations. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and redev.atb@gmail.com.