To walk into the Old Savannah Schoolhouse is to step back in time. The rows of desks, the bottles of ink and “dip-in” pens, the schoolteacher’s desk and blackboard are all strong reminders of days gone by.
Up until the 1920’s, education in the Cayman Islands was a somewhat informal affair. Mothers originally took most of the responsibility for educating their children. Gradually, the churches began to take on some of that work in each of the communities scattered around the island. There were a few private schools run by minimally trained but dedicated, and sometimes gifted, teachers. It was not until the twentieth century that a more cohesive programme of schooling was developed by Government.
Before the Savannah Schoolhouse was built, local children attended school at Spotts and neighbouring Caswell. The great storm of 1932 destroyed the schoolhouse at Spotts and resulted in the gradual shift of the population towards Newlands, Savannah and Crewe Road. The construction of a local schoolhouse was a major event for the growing community of Savannah.
The building of the one-room schoolhouse was undertaken by local craftsmen, supervised by Will Wallace Bodden, Head Carpenter. Many of the necessary materials were brought from George Town, and sand was transported to the site from Spotts Beach.
Ironwood posts were used to support the building which is constructed with walls of cement which was poured between the posts. Will Wallace remembers it as being quite a challenge: “Sinking the posts was an extremely difficult job. The flint (dolomite) rock was so hard that it took a day’s work to dig half an inch”. The challenge was met, however. By making a fire on the spot intended to hold a post, and leaving it to burn all night, the dolomite rock was softened making it easier for a freshly sharpened crowbar to penetrate. Using this method, two post holes could be completed each day.
The Savannah Schoolhouse first opened its doors to welcome local children on 12th September, 1940. The Education Report for that year describes it as being “adequate in size … an asset to the district … (which) filled a long felt need to this small community, the cost being about 250 pounds”.
Children aged from seven to fourteen years all received their lessons in one airy room. The class teacher would group her pupils according to their age and ability, and work with one group at her desk while the remaining children quietly got on with their reading or the exercises written on the blackboard.
Discipline had to be strict. From their first day, children were made aware of the rewards for bad behaviour. No-one wanted to be shamed in front of their classmates by being made to stand in the corner or, worse, be rapped sharply with the Tamarind switch kept on the teacher’s desk!
Singing was popular, especially when the shutters had to be closed on one side of the schoolroom against driving rain. The noise of the rain on the metal roof was loud, but it did not overcome the sound of young voices raised in the popular round, “Come to School Again”, or any of the other songs well remembered even today by former pupils. They also remember the mosquitoes that followed the rain, and the smoke pans that had to be lit in an attempt to subdue them!
Inter-School Sports Competitions were also favourites with pupils, but the main emphasis of the school was academic. While learning to read, write and do arithmetic, the children also studied history, geography and science. Religious Education was an important part of the curriculum, while Ethics covered the values and ideals of truthfulness, honesty, respect and hard work.
The pupils themselves were responsible for keeping their schoolroom and yard clean and tidy. A quick tidying-up session was held at the end of each day, with a proper clean-up each Friday afternoon. Occasionally, the school- room had to be made ready for a concert or play, which would be held in the evening for everyone’s entertainment.
For many children, the formal education they received at the Savannah School was all that they would get, but it served them well as they moved out into the world. Some older students took the Jamaica Local Exam, and left with a recognized qualification, while a fortunate few were able to go on to further education. This meant leaving the island and traveling to Jamaica, the USA or even Great Britain.
The Old Savannah Schoolhouse served the community for 41 years, but was eventually replaced by the more spacious and modern building now located just behind it. It then became a storeroom for furniture and supplies. Finally, it was decided that its useful days were over, and after some years of neglect, it was scheduled to be demolished. This saddened former pupils, some of them now prominent members of Grand Cayman’s community, and gradually the idea of saving the building for future generations was born. Coincidentally, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands was established in 1987, and the newly formed Savannah District Committee decided that the restoration of the schoolhouse would be a worthy district project. The result of their labours can been seen today.
As it is so close to the new school, the sound of children’s voices still permeates the building. During your visit, sit at one of the desks and take a moment to close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like to have been a pupil in the 1950’s at the Old Savannah Schoolhouse.