Renaming the middle schools

In my younger days I attended a school called Hymers College. It was named after some chap called John Hymers, a local clergyman who died in 1887 and left some money in his will for the founding of a school. While I may have been vaguely aware of this at the time, it did nothing to fill me with the Holy Spirit, or develop my philanthropic instincts. I didn't really know who John Hymers was, nor did I care.

So I can't help but regard Education Minister Terry Lister's plan to rename Bermuda's middle schools by May 2006 as anything other than an utter waste of time and money. Mr. Lister and other adults may consider honouring local heroes to be a worthy reason to rename the schools, which will inspire their students to greater things. However, I think it's safe to say that most of the kids will regard the move with a mix of bemusement and indifference, particularly those at Spice Valley Middle school, which has changed its name three times in the last six years.

The government should focus its energy and money on more direct measures to improve student performance instead.

Comments

[Adjustah on 31.10.05 at 19:04]

Renaming the schools? Really?

So many jokes, so little time...

[SmokingGun on 31.10.05 at 19:04]

The Colonel Burch School of Hard Knocks?
Get your Vale-Dicatator from the Alex Scott Muddle School.

You are absolutely right Limey. Wasting precious resources, time and money on this kind of frivolous pursuit, even if it is with good intention, is the last thing he should be thinking about at this moment in time. Name a classroom after someone who may have gone through that particular school fine, but that's about it.

But just for the fun of it I would like to see the proposed names that Mr. Lister is thinking of. He could be pulling the pin on a hand grenade and damage some serious egos if he's not careful.

[It Doesn't Matter on 31.10.05 at 19:14]

While I think the move to rename Bermuda's middle-schools is, at the moment, a bit unnecessary, consider the following:

Countries are riddled with imagery. London has statues at every intersection. The House of Commons and House of Lords resemble Churches. In Leeds is the same. In Canterbury. In Manchester. And the list goes on.

In other places, the population is bombarded by such discreet imagery.

Re-naming the middle schools is nothing more than the same imagery at work. Consider it. Why complain about something that has been done from time immemorial?

Maybe the concern is that the names won't be reflective of the "old" system at work.

[Full Fullish on 31.10.05 at 20:05]

You'd be surprised what goes on. When I was on load to Cedarbridge when it opened up, 1 month before, they wanted the ground floor to be the 1st floor (or vice versa). Instead of just letting it ride, as everything was marked labeled and layed out, they actually decided to go ahead and renumber everything. Cost to the tax payers.....a cool $60k.

Before they even attempt to rename a shcool, Let's find out how much per school this will actually cost. I swear this current government needs their head examined....

[Full Fullish on 31.10.05 at 20:11]

You'd be surprised what goes on. When I was on load to Cedarbridge when it opened up, 1 month before, they wanted the ground floor to be the 1st floor (or vice versa). Instead of just letting it ride, as everything was marked labeled and layed out, they actually decided to go ahead and renumber everything. Cost to the tax payers.....a cool $60k.

Before they even attempt to rename a shcool, Let's find out how much per school this will actually cost. I swear this current government needs their head examined....

[blovator on 31.10.05 at 21:01]

This is what Bermudian public education is all about. Been this way for decades. Ripping off the young. It works too.

Wouldn't get too fussed about it. Bermudians ( oh yes, black and white ) like it this way. And they like paying double for all the c**p education they get. So stop complaining and siddown.

[SmokingGun on 31.10.05 at 21:08]

"Before they even attempt to rename a shcool"

FullFullish....if that's you attempt at humour.... I like it!

If not ...stay behind after class. :)

[Turtle on 31.10.05 at 21:20]

A number of schools are already named after people, so it's nothing new. There's Whitney Institute, Saltus Grammar School, the Berkeley Institute, Victor Scott, Gilbert Institute and there used to be the Nicholl Institute - to name the ones that come immediately to mind. Usually these names have been bestowed to honour founders or founding benefactors, as are the school houses.

All around us streets are named after governors and admirals and so forth, and those streets didn't always have those names, either. Some of them were renamed and had their nondescript names (like Third Cross Street) changed to something more commanding.

So what's the problem today with honouring those who have contributed significantly to education (monetarily or otherwise) by naming schools after them? And what's wrong with naming some roads after people who have made a significant contribution to Bermuda in the modern era?

In my view it's an essential part of growth and change. After all none of us want to be moribund - or do we?

[Turtle on 31.10.05 at 21:20]

On the other hand - I agree with Limey that changing a school's name too many times borders on the ridicuous though. Time to leave Spice Valley alone and let it develop some traditions.

[ace on 31.10.05 at 21:26]

Mr. Lister has outdone himself on this one.

What a total and utter waste of time and money.

[SmokingGun on 31.10.05 at 21:28]

Turtle you are correct. Nothing wrong with naming schools after people of significance. The problem is why re-name them? Have the old names lost their value? Is it worth spending money on at this time when there are so many other things that the money could be better used for. More teachers or training for instance. Better security maybe? There usually is quite a significant cost attached to re-branding or re-naming an institution and it just seems there are so many other needs to spend the money on.

[Uncle Elvis on 31.10.05 at 21:42]

I used to be moribund, but my doctor put me on a special diet and it cleared right up.

I agree with most here. There's nothing wrong with re-naming something (unless it's the Mid Atlantic Wellness Center... doesn't THAT just roll off the tongue?), but taxpayers' dollars could be put to far better use elsewhere. Scratch that... anywhere else.

[Turtle on 31.10.05 at 21:47]

You guys are right on the money about where the money should be spent - certainly not on school signs, stationery, etc.

[loki on 31.10.05 at 22:14]

Just a polite suggestion: could the government concentrate on getting Berkeley opened before embarking on some meaningless school-rebranding exercise (and who'd like to bet that the names 'Butterfield', 'Trimingham', 'Cooper' and 'Outerbridge' won't be on government's list of approved names for schools?). Call me old-fashioned, but when my tax dollars have been poured into a massively over-budget and corruption-plagued effort to build a school, I get a bit irked when government tries to divert attention away from that.....

[OnDeWata __/)__ on 01.11.05 at 08:25]

loki - you hit the nail on the head. Lister is just trying to distract the voters away from the Brokeley debacle.

I'm sure the plan is to throw the floor open to every Tom Dick & Harry to put forward the Names. That way lister can manufacture a big pi55ing contest, diverting eyes from HIS messes.

[Yet Another Limey on 01.11.05 at 10:01]

Renaming and re-branding can sometimes be an effective way of turning over a new leaf and disassociating a place with a negative image.

I think the renaming of St Brendan’s to the Mid Atlantic Wellness Centre was great, St Brendan’s trips off the tongue too easily and became a schoolyard taunt. Now if we can just rename Westgate to the West End Centre for Social and Societal Rehabilitation and Reintegration.

[It Doesn't Matter on 01.11.05 at 10:02]

If I had my way, I would remove the statue of Johnny Barnes and replace it with something more essential and uplifting for the population of Bermuda. I would stop teaching religious studies in the middle- and secondary-schools and start teaching, in depth, history of the African diaspora. I would teach about slavery. I would teach about Ghana and Senegal and other countries on the African continent. I would present the students with a view on where they came from and promote their intellectual development in that regard. I would change the name of the parishes so they no longer represent the elitist aristocracy which, using their company, inhabited this Island. I would promote the forming of companies by people who could not form them previously because of economic and other constraints. I would promote the opening of a Bank owned by another race of people. I would peel the Queen's face off Bermudian money. I would promote the Emancipation aspects of Cup Match. I would curtail the police's right to stop and search youths randomly. I would set up and fund discussions on the importance of the black population.

And the list goes on. But you get the point.

Renaming a school is offensive? I dont think so. It could be a powerful tool of upliftment for certain of the population. Particularly those who attend in the public school system.

[Tiger Bay on 01.11.05 at 10:31]

It doesn't matter, many of the projects you state would just be shouting fury into the hurricane. What do they really accomplish?

You are spouting political cotton candy. Tastes good at first, but doesn't sustain you.

It would be more meaningful for Government to do everything it takes for every young Bermudian to get a high school education to international standards, followed by vocational training to board standards or access to accredited overseas colleges and universities.

It would be more meaningful to do everything it takes to build the black middle class. Not by providing government handouts or trying to employ everyone in the public sector, but through fostering the growth of entrepreneurism and investment.

Think of this: the tens of millions WASTED at Berkeley would have funded the Small Business Development Corporation to provide startup grants or credit garantees as well as meaningful support for small companies. It would have funded a massive scholarship programme. It would have paid to complete National Stadium. But it won't. Our money wasted and covered up.

[Full Fullish on 01.11.05 at 10:36]

It Doesn't Matter -

I think the point of the school names right now is that there are more important issues to deal with than renaming the schools, or parishes for that matter.

And yes, I'd remove the statue of Johny Barnes, and put it in his place on the roundabout when he passes away.

[Rancid on 01.11.05 at 10:45]

Why don't they concentrate on making the schools work and actually teach the kids who go there. They should also try and keep the students in school. I do alot of driving around during the week and see massive amounts of kids, not in uniforms, wandering around, I guess they don't even bother to go to school, and the schools don't care if they show up or not.
PS
All of the kids I see wandering around are black, so its them and their futures which are being hurt by this lack of discipline and concern.

[Full Fullish on 01.11.05 at 11:00]

It Doesn't Matter -
"Do you think the curriculum in force at the moment is equally balanced between the upliftment and teaching of all races, all religions, all histories?"

Nope, not at all, I would like to see a broader scope of subjects. I'm a big fan of "Learn from your past, lest you repeat it in future".

If you want to get more indepth in this, we should find another topic that covers this on LIB, I fear that we are straying too far off topic, but i wouldn't mind continuing....I sense the delete button warming up.... :)

[denning on 01.11.05 at 11:15]

Assuming that the government will proceed to rename the schools regardless of what we think about such a move (imagine that!), they would be well advised to select their honorees carefully. I'm reminded of the case of Clara Brett Martin, who was heralded as Ontario's first female qualified barrister. Her portrait was plastered on walls, a wing of a law school was named for her, there were ribbon cuttings and photo-ops, scholarships were named in her honor...then someone researching for her biography found that she had some alarming anti-semitic views. Down came the portraits, out with the scholarships...hell, they probably had to board up that wing. Choose carefully - you never know what's in anyone's closet.

[Rincewind on 01.11.05 at 12:44]

Who cares what the schools are called, when any of you were in school, did you care what it was called? It is just another major money spending expedition, then when the schools are done, what next, it could get to the point where we won't know what the name of the street we live on is called. As for renaming the buildings, well lets just put it this way, I used to know where the tennis stadium at Bernards park was called.

[Rev. Goat on 01.11.05 at 17:29]

It will be interesting to see who gets all the new signage work and corporate identity print jobs as a result of this name changing.

Should'nt Bermuda pay it's existing bills first, like the Berkely School debacle.

[Nicolette on 01.11.05 at 18:14]

This is a joke...you'd think Lister would have enough to do what with this island facing some of the worst academic standards ever and the persistent emails going around the Department of Education about his "out-of'school" activities. I wonder who will be able to keep a straight face when they attend a class on budgeting at Berkley....

[Slowhand on 01.11.05 at 20:16]

It used to be that most schools were named according to their geographical location. Sandys Grammar (Changed to Somerset Primary in the early 70s when integrated with Boaz Island) West End, Southampton Glebe, Sandys Sec, Warwick Sec etc. What is wrong with this? One school I doubt they would change would be Victor Scott Primary (was called Central School) but the funny thing is, I doubt, in fact I am positive that there are very few of the students if any that could tell you who Victor Scott was. So would it be worth the money and effort to go through those changes?

[Rincewind on 01.11.05 at 20:53]

It will put money in someones pockets though, think of all the 'other' things that will need to be changed along with the name.

[SmokingGun on 01.11.05 at 21:10]

Rincewind - if someone ever did an undercover story on how the decision makers in Bermuda get things done it would get them the ducking stool with cement shoes. I'm actually extremely surprised that no-one in the newspaper business ever tries to really connect the dots as to who benefits from these kinds of activities. It's not really that hard to figure out which in itself says something.

There was a situation that occurred when I went to school in the states where the head of the city transportation decided to have signs made up that said "no-right on red". It would have saved the city a ton of money to have signs that said "right on red" as there were far less corners to cover. Turns out it was his relative's business that got the deal.

[Rincewind on 01.11.05 at 21:16]

No one will say anything, it will all be done and we will all have to try and remember what are all the new names.

God help me I can't get the names of all my children and animals straight, how am I going cope?lol

[c.nixon on 08.11.05 at 23:49]

So what is this I hear about renaming the schools? It occurred to me that a government should not spend its time and money on things nobody cares about. Unfortunately, this is the case of the school renaming project. At the best school names are ignored, at the worst, they are made fun of. Thus, other projects should benefit from the government's attention, instead of projects that will benefit non one.

[Slowhand on 20.11.05 at 12:18]

Our Bermudian children don't have a Bermuda Roll model, they can't name one Bermudian that they look up to historically and yet all the US, Canadian, British and West Indian children can.... That is why we must rename the schools.

Does anyone at Victor Scott School know who he was? I know for a fact that they don't.