When my alarm clock rang at 5.30 on Monday morning, I could not believe it, I had barely left the school 4 hours earlier and now I was on my way back for the first day of school in our beautiful new building. Kenny arrived right on time, in fact a few minutes early to collect me from home and off we sped down to the school to carry out the finishing touches.
It was a wonderful clear morning and just as well as the whole ceremony was to be conducted outside under the clear blue skies. This was in stark contrast to the previous week where it had rained every day without fail. The Lord is good and knew what weather we needed for the big day. It was barely 6.45am but there was already a great buzz around the property, and you could feel the anticipation in the air. Mrs Wyness as always, had come up with a fantastic idea for the opening, and arranged helium and 200 balloons and Kenny was swiftly given the task of pumping them all up.
Michel Nieva and his team were busy at work preparing a beautiful spread in the primary courtyard, I must admit I was very tempted to dip into one or two rusks but managed to control myself and stick to the task at hand. Opening the school.
I quickly opened all the classrooms but soon came to find that I was missing the keys for the grade 11 class. I checked my key bucket 3 times, called the staff of the center and prayed, but still no keys. What could be done? Just then Tanton came and saw me with the grade 11 key which had been wrongly inserted into the inside of the grade 11 classroom door lock. How he found that I am not sure, but at least that was one issue resolved. Just as I was recovering from that I heard Mrs Wyness going on about her balloons and to my surprise I gazed up into the sky and saw a bundle of blue and gold balloons rising gently into the gentle morning breeze and starting their journey towards Le Coline de Candos. What an impromptu site!!
By now it was 7.45 and there was a stream of students waiting out side the main entrance, accompanied by a good number of parents and invited guests. Adrien and Mr Shaw hurriedly organized a microphone and speaker and before I knew it Pastor Len was on the MSS rock with Pastor Clarence welcoming all the parents and students, and opening in a Word of prayer.
Pastor Len as always delivered a very entertaining speech and thanked all those special people who had helped the make the day and school possible.
Finally it was the moment that the children had been waiting for, the cutting free of the balloons. Pastor Len and Clara precisely cut each balloon free and each balloon got a great ooh and ahhh from the crowd, they seemed to all be very happy this morning. (suppose they should be after 7 weeks of holidays).
I quietly made my way around to the primary courtyard and helped myself to a well earned cup of coffee and rusk.
What a beautiful day.
Our Grade 6's will be leaving on Sunday this week for the island of Reunion, not far from Mauritius. This is an annual trip for the grade 6 class, last year it was the grade 6 'Eko Gekos' and this year they are flying high as the 'Grade 6 Kestrels'.
