Woodbrook Government Secondary School was commissioned on 13th January 1961.
Up to 1960 Woodbrook had its own retail market which was demolished to give way to construction of the Woodbrook Government Secondary School.
In 1961, WGSS or WSS as it is now known, was one of 3 modern secondary schools to open doors in Port-of-Spain.
There were only three classes, namely two Form Twos and one Form Three. The remainder of the school was housed at the Victoria Institute opposite Memorial Park. Later the French Street Market, which shared the same space, was demolished to pave the way for a new structure to accommodate the entire school population.
The school houses 19 form classes consisting of three forms each at lower school (Forms 1-3) and four Forms 4 and 5 respectively, moving from just 105 pupils in 1961 to 560 in 2011 (50th Anniversary). For a short period of time, WSS also housed upper school classes - Form 6.
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THE HISTORY OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
After several attempts over the years from the time of the school being commissioned, the following past students got together and with an unwavering commitment started the school’s alumni association. Clive Griffith (73), Keith Wood (73), Arnim Phillips (67), Kenrick Rivers (67), Wendy Scoon (73), Eric Simmons (73) dec., Joanne Harroo-Blackman (73), Robert Sharpe (73), Ancil Alfonso, Jocelyn WykeChandler (73), Eric Matamoro (73), Sandra Blood, Chris Riley.Earl Wilson, Peter Pierre, Sandra Ross-Matamoro, Michael Andrews, Carol Smart, Hayden Phillip, Carol Tarradath, Bernadette Belfour, Cynthia Guevara, Martin Griffith, Peggy Olivier, Stephen Wong-Kang, Michael Potella, Inskip Pollonais, Carlos John, Noel Duncan pledged to support the budding alumni as follows:
The first reunion meeting was held on 12 May 2003 at the SWWTU Hall on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. Approximately 86 past students attended.
Interestingly, the first reunion was held on a MayDay weekend, hence the name as a summoning call.
Meetings continued at that location to put a structure to the body. After approximately twelve months and twenty-two (22) meetings, the initial constitution that set the base for the organization’s future was completed. The main thread of thinking was that the school had come of age, many memories, families, friends, relationships and futures were created at WSS and should be cherished and recognized and acknowledged by the formation of the alumni.
Coming out of the above the First General Meeting was held on 16th May.
In May 2005 a strategic planning session was convened over two evenings to come up with a Strategic direction for the Alumni association. The Strategic Plan identified the following objectives for the Alumni:
- To promote and foster the purpose for which the school has been established
- To encourage the progressive development of the school
- To stimulate interest in the affairs of the schoolboy recognizing and contributing to the schools achievements
- To assist in fund raising for the school
- To offer advice on matters affecting the school on matters of interest to the pupils and staff of the school
- To assist in the cultural, sporting and educational development of the students of the school
- To foster camaraderie among past students.
The alumni focused on building member capacity by spreading the word of the association. Several successful functions were held for fund raising and building relationships among its members.
The Executive set about placing the association in a formal structure. An attorney with experience in the area of drafting constitutions was retained for the development of an appropriate document for the association.
After several reviews and re-takes, the Woodbrook Secondary School Alumni Association was formally registered on August 04, 2010 as not-for-profit organization.
The First Executive members were:
President: Keith Wood
Vice- President: Arnim Phillips
Secretary: Wendy Scoon
Assistant Secretary: Joanne Harroo-Blackman
Treasurer: Robert Sharpe
Assistant Treasurer: Ansil Alfonso
Public Relation Officer: Clive Griffith
School Affairs Officer: Jocelyn Wyke-Chandler
Elected officer: Eric Belfield-Matamoro
Elected Officer: Sandra Blood
The Alumni now became a legal person and go before the world and set about growing its member body. WSSAA was now able to raise funds, organize functions and be recognized.
The next major task was fund-raising. An annual subscription was instituted of TTD$120, this served to provide much needed start-up capital. Maintaining the collection of the annual subscription began to prove to be a herculean task, therefore the Executive moved a motion to have the subscription amended to one-time lifetime subscription.
Over the period from 2003 to the present, the alumni hosted several functions for the purpose of fund-raising, these include but not limited to the following:
- Annual Dinner Dance (November annually)
- Wood You Be There (School Party)
- Grand Raffle
- Cook in the Brook
- Sale of Tee-Shirts
- Sale of 50 Anniversary key-chains
The WSSAA also assisted the school in several ways as follows:
1. Developed and hosted a Career Fair for two years which the school now conducts itself.
2. Provided assistance for the Annual Sports Day-2008.
3. Assisted with purchase of Multi-Split Air-Conditioner Unit for the Information Technology Lab (2009/10).
4. Provided Speakers at School Achievement Days.
Since it's inception, the WSSAA has continued to grow and is ever evolving, particularly in adapting modern means of communications and varying methods of keeping in contact and attracting new members and by extension also is tasked with updating the Bye Laws in keeping with legal guidelines for doing so.
On this note, the Bye Laws are available to any fully registered member of the alumni. You may opt to receive this via traditional post or via email.
The WSSAA can be contacted
via email: wssalumniassociationtt@gmail.com
mail: c/o WSS, 41-45 French Street, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
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WGSS MOMENTS IN HISTORY
excerpt courtesy Newsday TT
In 1970, all the students of a form five class of Woodbrook Secondary School were suspended. Their offence? They were “radicalised” by the protests of the Black Power Movement sweeping TT.
They were angry about inequalities in the school system and the movement’s call to action against social injustice, including police brutality, attracted them as it had hundreds of students, ages 14 to 18, in other schools...
...''Alexander said the secondary schools were hurriedly built following Dr Eric Williams’ statement about the future of the nation being in children’s bookbags, and some were built on market and city council land because there wasn’t enough space for them. He said there was a shortage of staff to teach many subjects and there was discussion by the students about the inadequacy of the teachers.
He said a newly instituted lecture series at Woodbrook Secondary dealt with issues of Black Power, the Vietnam War and other topical issues and the staff became anxious about students being radicalised. He said students were banned from certain classrooms and the whole fifth form was suspended.
He said at that point, students came out in protest in solidarity, some of who were arrested and taken to the Woodbrook Police Station where they were terrorised by the police...''
Click here to read more.
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Please note that this blog is the E-Alumni (a social networking and communication platform) and not the official WSS Alumni Association.
He said a newly instituted lecture series at Woodbrook Secondary dealt with issues of Black Power, the Vietnam War and other topical issues and the staff became anxious about students being radicalised. He said students were banned from certain classrooms and the whole fifth form was suspended.
He said at that point, students came out in protest in solidarity, some of who were arrested and taken to the Woodbrook Police Station where they were terrorised by the police...''
Click here to read more.
-------------
Please note that this blog is the E-Alumni (a social networking and communication platform) and not the official WSS Alumni Association.
