BORN out of the nostalgia of a group of past students from the class of ’79, the Indian Education Trust College/Richard Ishmael Secondary School Old Students’ Association is a guardian angel for the Richard Ishmael Secondary School.

With the primary objectives of bringing past students together and giving back to the school, the association have done just that through donations and several initiatives that involved refurbishing the school’s library, providing awards for the annual graduation and awards ceremony, and providing primary healthcare services for the students and staff.

The Old Students Association was initiated by Carl Greene, a past student from the class of ’79 whose home visits resulted in the friendly gatherings that led to the creation of the association. By early 2010, the process to formalize the association had begun, and the association was launched in February 2011 after being registered under the Friendly Societies Act.

The first major event planned by the association was the school reunion, and this was held in July that year and resulted in a Library Update project by which several book donations were made and the school library was refurbished.

Before the reunion, the Old Students Association also cleaned the school compound, and subsequently made a major contribution to the annual graduation and awards ceremony. This contribution would later become a tradition as, every year after that, the association would contribute to the graduation ceremony.
The association usually donates trophies for the graduating students, and even the lower level students have been rewarded, as all high achievers (students who placed first to third) were presented with gift vouchers.
Most notably, the library continues to benefit from the donation of books. So far, the school has received more than 300 titles, including CSEC texts for about 15 subject areas, as well as a desktop computer which the association had asked Bisham Persaud (a past student) of Crown Mining to donate on that company’s behalf.

Moreover, the Old Students Association partnered with the Ministry of Health on two occasions to offer some primary healthcare services to both the students and staff of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School. The school population benefited from eye tests, dental examinations, blood pressure and glucose screening, and 13 teachers took the opportunity to be screened for cervical cancer. Literature on many health-related issues was also distributed.

According to the Association’s Secretary, Fayne Ramsaran-Bhudu, “The New Year will see the hosting of a few fundraising events to aid the financing of major projects – the establishment of a permanent sick bay and the purchase of a photocopying machine”.

She continued, “There are also plans in the works to harness the Association’s human resources pool to assist students in areas such as career guidance”.

The new executive body elected earlier this year comprises Arnold DeMendonca, President of the association; Dyreck Babb, Vice President; Fayne Ramsaran-Bhudu, Secretary; Nandranie (Janet) Persaud, the new Treasurer; Nazima Ali-Fordyce the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; and Basil Persaud the association’s Public Relations Officer.
Other committee members include Salima Ali, Rudra Chinapen, Nikita Inniss, Shearon Persaud and Steven Telford.

The executive has expressed intention to invite all past students to join the association and make a meaningful contribution to their alumni.
And the school is appreciative. In a recent interview, Head Mistress Ms. Chandroutie Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle: “The Old Students Association has always been very supportive of this school, and they always play an active role in all school activities.”
Written By Tash Van Doimen