A.X. EXcellence
‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’
This Latin phrase translates to “through adversity to the stars” or “through struggle to the stars”. In simplest terms, it is a beautiful statement of endurance to push through the difficulties of life to reach success. It also happens to be the motto for one of Barbados’ long-standing secondary-level educational institutions, The Alexandra School. It was on September 24, 1894, when the school first opened its doors, founded by Archdeacon of Barbados, George Frederick. The name itself honours Princess Alexandra, wife of King (then Prince) Edward II of England.
At the time of the school’s inauguration, there was an evident gender disparity when it came to education, with Queen’s College being the only first grade grammar school for girls. There was a push to rectify this and with that, the Alexandra School was established to provide sound pedagogy to Barbadian females, and that it did. According to the Education Board in 1904, the institution’s first decade was one to be admired as it was already “of equal standard with secondary girls’ schools in England in respect of numbers, curriculum…and efficiency” (Collins, 1994, p. 20).
‘Merton’. (Collins, p. 64)
Today, Alexandra (fondly referred to as A.X.) is located opposite Pizza Man Doc in Speightstown, St. Peter. Its brightly painted blue walls are impossible to miss when driving along Queen’s Street. This current site became the school’s forever home in 1929 after the property known as ‘Merton’ was acquired. However, Alexandra had its early start on the opposite side of the road on Queen’s Street and the original building was still standing up until a couple of years ago. Sadly, this important historical landmark was lost on September 3, 2020, when the entire building was consumed by a devastating fire. A piece of history and decades of memories destroyed by the forces of nature.
However, the prize for the most persistent environmental hazard when it comes to the Alexandra School has to go to flooding. Historically, ‘bad weather’ in the north of the island usually meant that rivers of water would barrel down through overflowing gullies from the higher inland regions and vomit gallons onto the flatter areas on the coast. An old scholar who attended the school in the 1980s confirmed this. She recalls:
“Whenever the rain fell, Alexandra was like a lake. I remember one time when we couldn’t get out of the school because the water was so high. There was so much water that everyone had to walk through the biology lab and walk across benches that were brought from the gym. We walked across them to get to the office and out the western side of the school.” (Martindale)
In 1984, one of the most memorable floods in Barbados occurred, with the parishes of St. Peter and St. Andrew receiving the full outpouring of the rains. Between October 31 and November 1, the skies set up and emptied 15 inches of water relentlessly. The extent of this flood was heartbreaking to say the least. At least 2 lives were lost to drowning, many homes were washed away, and over $500,000 of damage was incurred (Barbados Advocate, 1984, p. 1).
Sitting in the heart of the low-lying Speightstown, the Alexandra School was not spared that Wednesday. The rain fell and fell…and fell. The infrastructure suffered tremendously. Several books and documents in the library were either damaged or completely destroyed and teaching was suspended for two weeks to facilitate extensive cleaning. Even with the rain continuing on the second day (November 1), many students still turned up to school to find the entire compound inundated. Despite the gloomy weather, the girls let their lights shine that morning. Some of them including Head Girl Christine Diessanthaller, decided to stay behind and help clean up the school (Barbados Advocate, 1984, p. 3).
‘Alexandra School after heavy rains’. (Collins, p. 33)
Alexandra is often referred to as the Beacon of the North and not just because of the brightly coloured easily-identified blue of the uniform. Selfless acts like those of these aforementioned students embody the spirit of the Alexandra School whose generations of staff and alumni have proven that the catchy phrase is much more than an empty mantra.
Over the years, the institution has undergone numerous changes: location, the introduction of coeducation in 1984 and the addition of a 6th form in 2015. What has not changed is its standard of excellence. Many well-acclaimed persons were educated here and continue to make their impact felt both in Barbados and abroad. These include 2021 Rhodes Scholar Trey Cumberbatch, athletes, principals and Barbadian cricketers. We cannot forget the likes of musical artists such as the reigning Crop Over Road March winner, Brucelee Almightee. Each of these persons no doubt overcame their own personal adversities and is in some way representative of the tutelage received at the northern institution. With 128 years under its blue and white belt, it is safe to say that the beacon continues to shine brightly and is an unwavering example of ‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’.
“My experience at The Alexandra School was a rewarding one as it helped shape me beautifully into the whole person I am today. I also enjoyed and continue to enjoy the interactions that were shared among my peers that have blossomed into lifelong friendships”
“Being a student of The Alexandra School is a badge of honour I wear with pride. I consider the many teachers and colleagues who were a major part of shaping the person I am today. The motto Per Ardua Ad Astra remains a major guiding light for me...challenging me for greater things.
A memory that I will never forget is having to recite in English class, “There is no word in the English language as ‘all two’ and the word we must use is both” - Leslie Lett. ”
Bibliography
Collins, Ruth. The Alexandra School, 1894-1994, Fun 'N' Sun Pub., 1994.
“Damage put at $500,000”. Barbados Advocate. 2 Nov. 1984, p. 1.
Kellman, Christopher. Personal Interview. 22 September 2022.
Martindale, Belinda. Personal Interview. 20 September 2022.
“Schools Closed Today”. Barbados Advocate. 2 Nov. 1984, p. 3.