NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025 6 STC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 100TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE IT IS with a great sense of humility and admiration that I join in congratulating my alumni association as we celebrate 100 years of service to our alma mater. I express profound gratitude for the legacy of the Shortwood Old Students Association (SOSA), now renamed ShortwoodTeachers’College Alumni Association, and for the contribution of past and present members, in the various links on the island and in the diaspora, whose hard work and commitment to service have made an indelible impact on our college and on our connection to each other during the last 100 years. A centenary celebration is significant. It enables us to pause to acknowledge our longevity, to consider our achievements, to reflect on what our beloved college means to us and gives us the opportunity to strengthen our ties with each other and with our college. As Shortwoodites, we feel a strong connection to our college, as this was where most of us experienced significant personal growth and forged lifelong bonds with batchmates. Our theme, “Celebrating the past, Embracing the present, Charting the future” speaks to our recognition of the foundation laid by our sisters, accepting the results of the way we have evolved and strategically planning our activities for the future. We recall the work of sisters such as Mrs. Keturah Myers, our first President, the first Secretary, Mrs Amy Bailey, and Mrs Mary Morris Knibb, our first Treasurer. Many of our sisters have been strong leaders at the national level. We celebrate Mrs Edith Dalton-James who was the first lady and the first classroom teacher to become President of the Jamaica Union of Teachers (JUT). Many of our alumni continue to distinguish themselves nationally and internationally in various fields. Shortwood has been training male teachers for more than two decades. We welcome our brothers and our younger members, and all our plans must be crafted with them at the table. As we look to the future, we must be ready for change. We will have to unlearn some of what we learnt and be willing to learn the new languages of life in this fourth industrial revolution. Despite the trepidation of many of our current membership, we must be mindful that automation is a big part of our reality, that data protection is important and that Artificial Intelligence is a mixed bag, but as educators we are lifelong learners, and we will do what is required to have our Alumni Association around for at least another century. ELAINE PICKERSGILL ROULSTON MRS President Shortwood Teachers’ College Alumni Association As we look to the future, we must be ready for change We will have to unlearn some of what we learnt and be willing to learn the new languages of life in this fourth industrial revolution.
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