Combermere School
Combermere School is a school in Barbados, notable as one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, established in 1695.[1] Its alumni include several leading cricketers, David Thompson, sixth prime minister of Barbados and other politicians, several authors and the singer Rihanna.
History[edit]
The school was initially established in 1695 as the Drax Parish School, under the 1682 will of plantation owner Colonel Henry Drax (great-uncle of the Whig politician Henry Drax), who had left 200 pounds sterling for the establishment and endowment of a "free school or Colledge" "to continue forever".[2](p52) The oldest secondary school on Barbados and one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean,[1] it underwent several name changes and relocations before settling at Waterford, Parish of St Michael, on the outskirts of the capital of Barbados, Bridgetown, in 1819.[3]
The school, named after a colonial governor of Barbados, Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, bears tribute to some of the school forefathers through the naming of areas such as the Drax Square, the De Vere Moore Gardens, and the Major Noot Hall. It was the first school to offer secondary education to poorer coloured students on the island. Having started as a co-educational institution, it returned to a mixed approach in the 1970s, eventually reaching a gender ratio of around 50%.[3]
Staff and structure[edit]
The school is led by a principal, assisted by a deputy principal; there are also six year heads for first form through to the upper sixth. There are over 30 teachers and a guidance counsellor.
Departments and subjects[edit]
The school has 12 departments, headed by 12 senior teachers. They include chemistry, mathematics, geography/social studies and environmental science, physics, biology and home economics, English, music and fine arts, physical education, technical and vocational studies, history, foreign languages, and business studies. There are dedicated labs and rooms for chemistry, biology, geography, physics, languages, music, computer science, and food and nutrition.[4] The school has a pavilion equipped with a gym and changing rooms. There are two playing fields, a cricket pitch, shooting range, basketball/netball and tennis/volleyball courts. Also included on the premises are a library and an auditorium — the Major Noot Hall[1] — and it one of the few secondary schools on Barbados, if not the only one, with a meteorological station.
The school offers a music programme. It is also home to the Number 3 Cadet Company.
Notable alumni[edit]
- Carlos Brathwaite – current West Indian cricketer, unrelated to Kraigg[5]
- Kraigg Brathwaite – current West Indian cricketer, unrelated to Carlos[5]
- Ron Buckmire – mathematician and LGBT activist
- Austin Clarke – Commonwealth award-winning author
- Frank Collymore – author, editor, and artist
- Sir Wesley Winfield Hall – former Barbadian, West Indian cricketer, Chairman of the West Indies Board of Control, Minister for Sports and Tourism
- Kerryann Ifill – first blind graduate of the University of the West Indies, President of the Senate of Barbados since 2012
- Chris Jordan - current English cricketer[5]
- Anthony Kellman – poet, novelist and musician
- George Lamming – author and public intellectual
- Frank Marshall – former Anglican Dean of Barbados, based at the Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels
- Ralph E. Pollard – Master chef, artist and TV personality
- Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty) – recording artist[5]
- Keith A. P. Sandiford – social historian
- Owen Alik Shahadah – African historian, filmmaker - 500 Years Later[citation needed]
- Charles Skeete – economist and former Ambassador to the United States (1981–1983)[6]
- John Smith – former Deputy Headmaster of the Coleridge and Parry School of Barbados[7][8]
- Arturo Tappin – saxophonist
- The Hon. David J. H Thompson – sixth Prime Minister of Barbados
- Sir Clyde Walcott, KA, GCM – former West Indies cricketer, former Chairman of the International Cricket Council[5]
- Arden Warner, particle physicist, inventor and Barbadian Golden Jubilee awardee[9]
- Jomel Warrican – current West Indian cricketer[5]
- Lawson A. Weekes, GCM – Justice of the Peace, Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House of Assembly of Barbados 1986–1994[10][11]
- Sir Frank Worrell – former West Indies batsman and captain[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Combermere School". Totally Barbados (Education). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ↑ A-Z of Barbados Heritage. Sean Carrington, Henry Fraser, John Gilmore, G. Addinton Forde (2nd ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Caribbean. 2003. ISBN 0-333-92068-6. OCLC 53920419.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Combermere School (MRD | Secondary Schools)". Government of Barbados (Media Resource Department). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ↑ "More Combermere Drama (Ministry and BSTU's reports differ on environmental situation)". Barbados Advocate. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
...the Food and Nutrition Lab, the Art Room, ... the Physics Labs, ... the Media Centre
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "Kraigg Brathwaite: Short balls in the nets was my welcome". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
- ↑ Best, Tony (2017-12-10). "Economist Charles Skeete passes away". The Daily Nation (Barbados). Archived from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2018-01-04. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Keith A. P. Sandiford; Earle H. Newton (1995). Combermere School and the Barbadian Society. Press, University of the West Indies. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-976-640-014-9. Search this book on
- ↑ The Year Book of the West Indies and Countries of the Caribbean. Thomas Skinner & Company, Limited. 1948. Search this book on
- ↑ Carter, Gercine (9 April 2017). "Bajan's wand ready for next oil spill". NationNews.com. St Michael, Barbados. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2013-12-15. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) - ↑ Politics Barbados: The Guide to the General Election, 1986. Sanka Price, Jnr. 1986. Search this book on
- Carrington, Sean; Fraser, Henry (2003). "Combermere School". A~Z of Barbados Heritage. Macmillan Caribbean. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-333-92068-6. Retrieved 2010-07-25. Search this book on
External links[edit]
- Official website
- "ANTHONY KELLMAN, "Simon" (from his epic poem Limestone) - YouTube". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2016-03-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
Coordinates: 13°07′00″N 59°36′08″W / 13.11667°N 59.60222°W
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