BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE sterling contributions of the late Rev. Dr. William Connor will live on as an emblem of academic excellence in the hearts of hundreds of students who, earlier today (June 19), flooded the streets of Basseterre commemorating the birth of the school’s patriarch.
As early as 10 a.m., over 375 students, staff and well-wishers of the school were seen marching through the streets of The Village, where the school is located, and trailing their way down into the streets of Basseterre. A band blasting gospel music and a group of enthusiastic cheerleaders led the way while hundreds followed with banners of Dr. Connor chanting the school’s theme - Keep climbing higher!”
Principal of the school Anthony Wiltshire explained to SKNVibes that the march is twofold as it not only celebrates the birthday of Connor (June 21, 1921), but also commemorates the 21st birthday of the primary school.
“Every year we have a march to commemorate the contribution to education and his involvement in the school. Just last month, in fact May 30, we celebrated the 21st birthday of Dr. William Connor Primary because we were opened on May 30, 1988. So, we bridged the two; it is the celebration of 21 years as an institution and also the contribution Dr. William Connor made to education,” Wiltshire said.
The Principal added that the march was met with much celebration and excitement from students, staff and the communities which the school serves. He added that contributions made by the community are ensuring that some of the traditions that Dr. William Connor was known for can remain alive.
“We had an overwhelming turnout of about 99.5 percent involvement from the school. The students as well as the teachers are all elated and perhaps they are even more elated knowing that at the end of this march the tradition of Dr. William Connor sharing out ice cream will continue. Just this morning we were given a cheque of EC$1 200 from his nephew, Pastor Lincoln Connor, to continue that tradition,” he added.
Wiltshire thanked all the donors, especially Pastor Connor, for keeping the traditions alive. The march ended with a light serving of ice cream for all the exhausted children – a slight reminder of a tradition of William Connor.
