There will never be another "Screech".
I want to pay tribute to the memory of a great Jamaican Educator John Searchwell.
"As I was driving along the Manchioneal road after the rain yesterday, I noticed a lady standing behind a puddle. I stopped beside her and told her that if she stood there she was going to get splashed. She said, "Tank yu sar, yu is a genkleman."
Yes, Screech was indeed a "genkleman" (wish he was a little gentler when he cained Jubs and I for fighting in Ms. Lecky's art class).
It was later in life that I came to realize the tremendous task he had to staff one of Jamaica's few genuinely rural schools. No wonder he often taught several classes himself. It was no picnic trying to instill high academic standards especially after the addition of the Junior Secondary department. It was a testament to his leadership and strength of character that he kept the school functioning and turning out some impressive Jamaican citizens.
As I limp around from time to time when my bad knee is acting up, I remember Screech; jogging onto the football field with his limp, with his hands over his head acknowledging the cheers from the school body. We admired his ability and willingness to participate in sports. Some of us even remembered that he "was one time Jamaica's fastest quarter miler" and had threatened to chase us "all the way to Golden Grove", if we try to run from him again.
Thank You Screech, and goodbye.
Derrick Allen
21 hrs · Port Saint Lucie, FL, United States ·
I want to pay tribute to the memory of a great Jamaican Educator John Searchwell.
"As I was driving along the Manchioneal road after the rain yesterday, I noticed a lady standing behind a puddle. I stopped beside her and told her that if she stood there she was going to get splashed. She said, "Tank yu sar, yu is a genkleman."
Yes, Screech was indeed a "genkleman" (wish he was a little gentler when he cained Jubs and I for fighting in Ms. Lecky's art class).
It was later in life that I came to realize the tremendous task he had to staff one of Jamaica's few genuinely rural schools. No wonder he often taught several classes himself. It was no picnic trying to instill high academic standards especially after the addition of the Junior Secondary department. It was a testament to his leadership and strength of character that he kept the school functioning and turning out some impressive Jamaican citizens.
As I limp around from time to time when my bad knee is acting up, I remember Screech; jogging onto the football field with his limp, with his hands over his head acknowledging the cheers from the school body. We admired his ability and willingness to participate in sports. Some of us even remembered that he "was one time Jamaica's fastest quarter miler" and had threatened to chase us "all the way to Golden Grove", if we try to run from him again.
Thank You Screech, and goodbye.
Derrick Allen
21 hrs · Port Saint Lucie, FL, United States ·
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