Our History 

Nineteen seventy was the year of the popular Black Power uprising. But rising up also that same year, like a Phoenix out of the belly of La Repentir, was the South Georgetown Government Secondary School (South) which gave birth to a cadre of skilled and talented men and women (Southies) and now an international family called the SGGSS Alumni, to be a reminder to you and I.

Now, if you don't mind, cast your minds back, to about forty years or more, and let it soar. When they opened the doors, to bring educational solutions for youths from as far as from Soesdyke, Berbice and Enmore, from every shore of this vast land of yore. When the gates swung open, it also welcomed the First proud hundred Southies that were previously housed at North Georgetown School, which brought life to a once dead scene to replace it with a presence of vibrant young energy and vitality.

There were noises of every kind, voices big and loud, coming from crowds of excited teen-aged children, the neighbors wondering if they will be able to rest in peace again. But when the school bell rang, classes commenced and learning, for each of us began. Like a bridge over troubled waters, a gateway to possibilities and opportunities made way, for us to walk over the broad wide trench; we wandered into a whole new world which awaited us. We stepped into a future, we couldn't even see, as it beckoned from a distance, when we sat on our new benches.

Fine minds were nurtured then, by competent teachers who made it their aim amidst the many trivial games to educate us, even though from various backgrounds we came. In South, we meshed together like the chain link fence that held us in, we were all united, like the national watchwords, one people, one nation, similar goals, one-fold.

Boys dressed in light green shirtjacs, girls blossomed like sunflowers in the sun, in brilliant yellow, their modesty intact. We were different from the rest, but we really stood out bright and mellow. We were the best. Using various means of transpy to get to where we had to go.
Bicycles, zelexsolex, P50s and walking for many was the norm to daily get us to and from our homes, to our various forms. English, Math, Geography, Spanish, Art, each subject molded us, played its essential part. Agri. Science, Plastic Technology, Wood work, Home Economics, Football, Basketball, Volleyball and Cricket were some of the subjects and extracurricular activities that give us the tickets to life within and beyond the limit of Guyana's shores, to make our homes in various places, to live with memories that cannot be erased.

But buried in the walls, the surrounding fields, the whispers of the silent breezes in the overgrown trees, in our collective hearts, in the community of the buried ones, if we look hard or look around in our heads, many memories that may be lying dormant, but not dead,
can still be found of those marvelous days we spent on this compound. This place we once called school, which taught us the ins and outs of life, and how to live by the rules.

And yes, many were locked out on occasions for being late, but those who pass through that entrance gate, from the East, the West, the North... to South are bonded together in a fraternal love that will never die, even though we were surrounded by the cemetery. From the moment schooling at South had begun, learning there, was lots of fun. As we turn our focus back, we realize that for nothing we lacked. Learning was adventure. It was a joint venture. They gave, we took everything they taught us from the book. This indeed was a special school. Nobody before or after us will ever experience the joy we've had. This my friend is both happy and sad. It was a special edition school, made for our times and no more.

Now, the gates of South have been closed, the doors are opened no more, the windows have been shut. But the presence of technology and the initiatives of the South Georgetown Secondary School Alumnae Association have been created to keep us in touch. Through the window of time, the sun continues to shine, the things we saw at South with our eyes, has truly made us very wise. After South, nothing in life should give us a surprise. More than books, pens and paper, we learnt so much more than others of our own ages. South has shaped us into who we are today, in many ways. We know this is the truth. What do you say? The loves of our lives, the small skirmishes, slights and fights, the way everything turned out to be alright. The way we used to lust, the little girls and boyhood crush.

Time has moved on, some of us are going, some are gone. Who will remain when this generation is done? We are the Southies, South is in us, can't let her name be buried in the dust. We've passed through this school, at different stages, different semesters, now she has been put to rest, seemingly on an everlasting siesta. The school is gone, still we are strong. But, how long? Who will remain to sing South's enduring song? (was there one?)

This is just a snippet of South for you, a slice in time of that unforgotten school, which after all those years, is still very dear to our hearts, from which we can never part. Like the long-sung song, too soon, she was gone. We must keep the memories alive, because many people today, never knew that a school like this ever existed. When one mention the name "South", people want to know "man, wha ya talkin' bout?" It was the Prince on the street, on Princes street was the place where South was found, standing out, inside the burial ground.
© Bro'Ken De Peana.