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New Lodge School Old Scholars Network

The new Lodge School Old Scholars Association (LSOSA) social and information network was launched yesterday. The LSOSA network is more than just a website, it is an online community that bridges the geographical and generation boundaries of past and present Lodge School students.

The Lodge School Old Scholars network seeks to keep old scholars connected to present and past school mates, teachers and other staff whether they are residing locally, regionally or internationally. All old scholars are invited to visit and sign up via the following link. lodgeschoolalumni.org

Colourful Take On Issues

Ribbons of Colour is the title of The Lodge School's annual pageant, which comes off on Saturday June 18 at the Dining Club.

Organised by the Student Council of the St. John school, each contestant had to choose something that affects persons in today's society, whether it be domestic violence, HIV or bullying and select the colour that goes with it to help prevent or show awareness of the issue.

The contestants had to research these issues as they relate to Barbados and have committed themselves to making the pageant night different. They want to make this a forum for the youth to hear about the aspect.

The organisers are promising a night of glamour and the contestants have been preparing for several months. They are nine contestants in the Lodge School Pageant 2011.

Source: news.barbadostoday.bb

New BTA Chief Points To Humble Beginnings

By his own account, Adrian Elcock “grew up very humble”. “I can’t say I grew up with the gold spoon or silver spoon some people think that I have,” he said in an interview with the SUNDAY SUN.

“We grew up in a three-room chattel house in Bank Hall. I was eight or nine years old before moving into a small wall house.”The 41-year-old businessman was appointed chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) on April 3. He was chairman of the Child Care Board under the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration and later served as deputy chairman of Barbados Conference Services Limited under the present administration.

Yet when Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy invited him to be BTA chairman, he said he was “surprised”. Others within tourism circles also seemed to have been surprised, considering that Elcock does not have the kind of tourism background they thought would have been necessary for anyone filling the post.

But Elcock countered: “In terms of what the naysayers have said, I guess I too have gotten accustomed to seeing tourism being run by one group of people and one set of people speaking on behalf of the industry . . .

“It did not seem as if medium-sized businesses like ours that have been relatively successful in our marketplace were invited to be a part of it. It seemed as if those that were in it controlled it and they controlled who entered it.“I have never said no to any minister in any government that has asked me to serve,” he stressed.

He pointed out: “I have come from a family business which, by any definition, has been successful. I have been a large part of growing that business and taking it to another level with my brother, with my dad and the other partners that work with us.”

The family business of which Elcock speaks is Everson Elcock & Co. Ltd., which is currently celebrating 50 years of operation and of which he is a director. A major division of that business is Exclusive Lighting & Electrical Supplies Ltd. The company was the idea of Elcock’s brother Antonio, another director in the larger firm, and an idea which Elcock developed into a major business.

“I have always felt that our leaders have given us a tremendous platform upon which to build our own personal brand,” says Elcock.“I have been educated in Barbados. I went to Dorothy Smale’s Preparatory School, the Lodge School and then Pace University, New York City, where I graduated with a degree in accounting with a major in public accounting.”

After graduation, he went to work with one of the world’s largest accounting firms, Arthur Andersen, spending eight years in New York.

Responding to his brother’s idea, Elcock came home in January, 1995 to start Exclusive Lighting and went on to join his father’s business as director of finance. After all, this was the business that grew from humble beginnings when Elcock would observe his father setting out from home in a pick-up truck every day, though he was not sure exactly what dad was going out to do.

“My earliest memory of my involvement was going to Baptist House, a place my father had on Constitution Road [St Michael], playing with the red electrical tape, making cricket balls, playing with my brother,” he recalled.“When I think back about it, that was his [father’s] way of immersing us in the business. It created an awareness and I understood that what he did was what put our food on the table.”

In his early teens and while a student of Lodge School, Elcock accompanied his father as he traversed Barbados, calling at homes under construction, offering his electrical building supplies for sale. While dad tried to sell to homeowners, it was Adrian who carried the price sheet and quoted prices. Later, during his regular visits home on holidays from university studies, he did accounting-related chores in the family business.


Proud Barbadian

Elcock boasts of being “a proud Barbadian who believes in the capacity of our country and the capacity of our people to deliver”.

While devoted to his work, he is “a committed family man” to his wife Ann and daughter Sanaa. “Our family traditions and structures are very important to us,” he pointed out. “We sit every Sunday as a family, have lunch with my parents and my brother and his family. Teamwork is part of our family tradition.”

He is also an avowed Christian brought up in the Anglican Church and worships regularly at St George’s Parish Church.

Loyal friend

Elcock declares his loyalty to friends: “I believe in friendships. I am an extremely loyal friend. I am going to stick with you through thick and thin. “I am going to tell you when I think you are wrong and I hope my true friends tell me when they think I am going in the wrong direction.”

He has thrown himself headlong into his new job, clear in his vision of what he wants to achieve. “Am I attacking this job with passion?” he asked. “One hundred and fifty per cent. Am I going to succeed? You sure bet I will. I have that confidence and I know I will. I have a team that will support me.”

Lodge School In Line For Major Upgrade

Lodge School Old Scholars' Association 2010 scholarship awardees; Charles Cole, Lizza Grazette-Corbin, Ashlee Lowe & Franco Alleyne-Moore.

        

The much-anticipated physical redevelopment of the Lodge School will commence in a matter of days, but an expanded school plant should not lead to an increased school roll.

So says principal of the Lodge School, Trevor Pilgrim, who was speaking the school’s Speech Day and Prize-Giving Ceremony held yesterday at the Massiah Street, St. John compound.

Pilgrim said that the school is currently overcrowded at a roll of 1 067 and implored the authorities not to increase the school’s roll even more when the physical redevelopment is finished.

“We will have more space but that would just defeat the purpose of the improvement of the facility. We need a smaller number of students to function at optimum academic levels,” he explained.

Speaking about the redevelopment plans, he said, “The former principal’s residence will be the first building to be demolished. This will happen within a matter of days and phase one of the construction process will commence. Phase one will include the construction of two new blocks with two floors each, the demolition of the lower wing that ends at the music room and work on the memorial hall and Block G,” said Pilgrim.

“As soon as phase one ends we will occupy the new building. We would therefore no longer need the prefabricated wooden units which have sprung up on the lawn,” he continued.

The principal explained that the entire physical redevelopment would be done in four stages and will end in 2013.

According to him, it will encompass the whole school, but it will be sequenced in such a way that disruption to the school will be minimised.

“We will also receive a new hall, with a capacity of approximately 1 000 and a new and larger pavilion. In 2013 when construction ends, the Lodge School will enter a new era in its long and illustrious existence, spacious, comfortable, well equipped and driven by highly motivated staff and students. It will be better positioned to achieve its mission,” he said.

“No longer will we have to hold assemblies and ceremonies like this one in the open air and rent tents. The new hall will also be a God-send to the St. John community since it will be large enough to accommodate conferences and community events,” he continued.

Pilgrim noted that in the next three years the school body will have to cope with the noise, dust and industrial challenges which will be created by this large construction process.

“I urge our staff, students and parents to be patient and to understand that some measure of discomfort always accompanies change and progress. We will do our best along with Innotech, the contractors, to reduce as much as possible any discomfort or threat to health and safety that arises from the construction process.”

Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com