St.  Joseph’s Infant School was opened in 1894 and occupied a large airy room on the Sutton Street side of the property. Sister M. Baptista was placed in charge. Sister was a trained Froebel Kindergarten teacher and so under her care and instruction, the school grew steadily.  Upon the departure of Sister Baptista for the United States, Sister M. Seraphim took charge.  Following her, came Sister M. Matilda. Both of these Sisters gave their hard work and love to the cause.  They were succeeded by Sister M. Constance, who won her way into the hearts of young and old; and under her careful eye, the school was extended to three large rooms with an average of Two Hundred and Fifty. In 1935 when Sister was obliged to give up her work and return to the States for medical attention, Sister M. Daniel was placed in charge by Mother M. Alacoque.

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Sister M. Constance left behind her one of the best-equipped Infant Schools in the island, the fruit of much hard labour, but, that “we have not here a lasting city” was proven on Saturday afternoon, October 23, 1937. Fire razed the block from one end to the other and not one item of equipment was rescued.  

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With undaunted courage, the staff gathered together their charges and with a slate and a piece of chalk were able, through the kindness and courtesy of the Boy Scout Authorities to re-open school three days later at the Scouts’ Headquarters at Church Street. In a short while, a temporary school was made out of an old warehouse belonging to the late Mr. James Dunn. In the meantime, new buildings at Duke Street were being erected.  St. Joseph’s Infant School was allotted the building on the corner of Duke Street and St. George’s Avenue, where it now functions. In a few years, as the number of children far exceeded the capacity, Mother M. Xavier tackled the job of putting a second storey on the three building.

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The school is now staffed with one Sister and eight lay- teachers. There are four classrooms on the main floor and three on the upper floor. These are so arranged that the whole upper floor may be converted into an assembly hall which is used for school plays and various other functions. Each year the little ones stage a play, the proceeds of which go to school equipment. As the school is under Government supervision, there is a regular curriculum to be followed which includes the teaching of Scripture, Geography, History, Nature, Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Speech Training, Dramatics and Sewing, plus all the other incidental activities that crowd in on the daily programme. Each year the group of seven-year-olds are instructed for their First Holy Communion and very often those not of the Faith ask for Baptism.

 

Article from 1957

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