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EP Yorke, Gwen Liz, and Sadie Vernon High Schools are the namesakes of outstanding educators – and today Maud Williams High School was added to that exclusive club. This morning St. Michael’s College on Dolphin Street was renamed Maud Williams High in honour of Williams and her more than 50 year contribution to education. 7News was there and Keith Swift has the story.

Keith Swift Reporting,
These students sang the St. Michael’s College song for the last time this morning because as of today – they are students at the Maud Williams High School. The namesake is 80 year old Maud Williams.

Maud Williams,
“I feel honoured. It is a great honour for them to confer on me and I’ll try my best to live up to the expectations.”

Keith Swift,
“What was your reaction when you were told they were planning to name a school after you?”

Maud Williams,
“I couldn’t believe it. I think for once in my life was speechless.”

Keith Swift,
“Did you have any reservations about agreeing to it when they approached you?”

Maud Williams,
“The only thing I thought of as I said was why me.”

And for Education Minister Patrick Faber, the answer would be the agile and unassuming 80 year old’s fifty years in education.

Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“We thought it fit again just to make sure that we are honouring prominent Belizeans. Miss Maud has put in close to 50 years in education and the reason why many people don’t know this is because we don’t promote and we do not make known these pieces of information. So by naming this school, Maud Williams High School, we will be saying to the entire population out there, indeed to the entire world that Maud Williams has made a significant, a great contribution to education in this country and that we appreciate her for having done so.”

And while Maud Williams and her family celebrated the recognition – the truth is that the Maud Williams High School has its problems. One of them is the crime that affects many of their students.

Carolyn Williams, Principal – Maud Williams High School
“We hope that we will continue to do the things that we are doing in terms of serving the entire population of Belize and not discriminating against students who come.”

Keith Swift,
“St. Michael’s has a high incidence of victims of violence compared to other high schools. Do you expect this to change?”

Carolyn Williams,
“Well I have not seen statistics to say we are the school that has the highest amount of students who have problems with violence or that we are perpetrators of violence. I think that like many of the other government high schools, we do serve the students from the highest crime populations in the city. So one could expect that but I don’t know for a fact that our school has the highest amount of students who are victims of or participants in crime.”

Keith Swift,
“There is a problem here with violence among your students. Would you agree?”

Carolyn Williams,
“No I would not agree with that.”

And Education Minister Faber could offer no solid assurance that things at now renamed high school will change.

Hon. Patrick Faber,
“We are hoping of course to improve the quality of education in all our high schools and so it is not that we are going to put any special specific efforts in one school over the other but the schools that are government owned, especially those that are on the southside, we believe that at the secondary level have a very special role to play.”

Maud Williams,
“Please remember that it is not just the name that will change your school or make it successful. It is what you do.”

Reporting for 7News, Keith Swift.

St. Michael’s College has 276 students. It was re-opened in the year 2000. The previous incarnation of St. Michael’s can claim among its alumni, Prime Ministers Said Musa and Dean Barrow, and Attorneys General Wilfred Elrington and Dickie Bradley, among many others. And while an outstanding educator in her own right, Maud Williams is the sister of Phillip Goldson.