Naparima Girls' High School is an all-girls high school in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. The school was founded in 1912 by Rev Dr. Fulton Coffin to complement the education offered to boys by

Naparima College Naparima College (informally known as Naps) is a public secondary school for boys in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in San Fernando, the school was founded in 1894 but received official recognition in 1900. It was established by Dr. Kenneth J. G ...

. It is located on La Pique Hill (part of San Fernando Hill) which overlooks San Fernando.

History

In 1912, the school opened with its first 22 pupils in a small classroom on Coffee Street, San Fernando with Miss Edith Doyle as the first Headmistress and the sole teacher. When Miss Doyle retired six months later, she was succeeded by Miss Marion Outhit M.A., a graduate of Dalhousie University. In 1914, With the school’s popularity growing, a small dormitory was created in an existing structure on Coffee Street to house ten girls with Miss Mary John becoming the first matron. In 1916, Miss Outhit was succeeded in 1916, by Miss Grace Beattie, an Arts graduate of the University of Toronto and a deaconess of the Presbyterian Church. Miss Beattie’s vision for the school was one of holistic education, aiming to build sound character through all-round development. 1925 - Planted the now iconic tamarind tree. It was in 1925, that NGHS attained the official status of Secondary School and the first Senior Cambridge class consisting of two students sat the external examination.

Motto and Hymn

The school's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is ''Non-nobis solum sed Omnibus'' which is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for ''Not for ourselves only but for Others''. In keeping with these words to live by, all students are required to complete forty hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

during the first four years (forms 1–4) of their secondary education at the school. After these compulsory hours, students are free to add more. The

school hymn A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools. Australia *The Glennie School – ''Now Thank We All Our God'' ...

is ''Youth Undaunted''.

Principals

* Miss Edith Doyle (1912 – 1913) * Miss Marion Outhit (1913 – 1916) * Miss Grace Beattie (1916 -1917) * Miss Adella Archibald (1917 -1927) * Miss Constance Young (1927 – 1928) * Miss Grace Beattie (1939 – 1950) * Miss Margaret Scrimgeour (1950 – 1964) * Miss Beulah Meghu (1964 – 1984) irst Trinidadian Principal* Mrs. Mavis Lee Wah (1984 – 1986) * Mrs. Jean Bahadur (1984 – 2000) * Mrs. Patricia Ramgoolam (2000 – 2012) * Mrs. Carolyn Bally-Gosine (2012 – 2020) * Mrs. Karen Bally (2020- present) The years 1928 to 1939 saw four changes of Acting Principal: Mrs. Irene Thompson-Kerster in 1928, Miss Margaret Scrimgeour in 1930, Mrs. Maude Howell-Dales in 1932 and Miss Bessie Bentley in 1936.

House system

The students are placed into five teams called '

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'. The houses compete against each other in sporting, arts and cultural activities. All houses vie for the title "Best House" which is named at the end of every

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compul ...

. Houses gain points and merits which are totalled, the highest scoring house receives the award. Each house was named after a prominent female figure and also assigned a colour. The houses and their colours are: * Archibald – blue (Adella Archibald) * Cavell – green (

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...

) * Curie – red (

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

) * Keller – yellow ( Helen Keller) * Scrimgeour – purple (Margaret Scrimgeour)

Entrance

Entry into the institution is done after writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment.

Notable alumni

* Dionne Brand – author of At the Full and Change of the Moon * Dr. Jean Ramjohn-Richards – former First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago. *

Gillian Lucky Gillian Lucky (born 1967) is a Justice of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Judicature for Trinidad and Tobago. She was previously a High Court Judge, Director of the Police Complaints Authority, and a Member of Parliament for Pointe-à-Pierre. Ea ...

, politician and lawyer * Dr. Anna Mahase CMT – former Principal of SAGHS Teaching Service Commissioner *

Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted (born 1949) is a specialist in nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems. She is a dual national of Trinidad and Tobago and Denmark. It was announced on 11 May 2021 that she was the winner of the 2021 W ...

- Winner of the 2021

World Food Prize The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Conceived by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nor ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 10.28085, -61.46192, type:edu_globe:earth_region:TT, display=title San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago Presbyterian schools in Trinidad and Tobago Girls' schools in Trinidad and Tobago Educational institutions established in 1912 1912 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago