The school that is now known as Sadie Vernon High first opened its doors in 1964 with only 8 students at the St. Mary's Parish Hall. Then it was known as the Belize Continuation School. Well 4 decades and 4 location changes later, the school will reopen on September 5th with a new name, a new management, and new focus. The changes were committed to paper today at the official signing ceremony. Here is the story.

When Council of Churches Chairman Canon Leroy Flowers signed on the dotted line this morning, he was signing over control of the once all girls Sadie Vernon High School to the Ministry of Education. And with the new management came a new name, a new logo, and new rules. For starters Sadie Vernon High is no longer just for girls and Chief Education Officer Maud Hyde that is just one of the changes.

Maud Hyde, Chief Education Officer
"The technical high school has really attracted more students and we are including male students now so we are expecting the boys to join Sadie Vernon and be able to be a part of what goes on at the new technical high school. The curriculum certainly will change to some extent. We're opening up the program so it becomes a pre-vocational technical high school so we are offering other areas that were not traditionally offered at Sadie Vernon High School in the past like for example technical drawing. These are areas we feel will prepare young people to best be able to move on in the area of technical training."

As to why the school was changed from all girls to co-ed, Education Minister Francis Fonseca says present realities doesn't allow the southside the luxury of an all girls school.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"Just simply because of the access needed in this community. There were many young men in the community who were trying to access secondary education and so we felt at this time that, in reality, it was a luxury we could not afford and we had to open the doors to young men. And so that was the decision we made."

And one factor why Sadie Vernon has been expanded to a co-ed institution is because the Sadie Vernon Technical High is where Excelsior students will finish their high school career. Hyde says that so far 100 students have made the switch.

Maud Hyde,
"We will know exactly what happens the fifth of September because some students might be a little bit late in making that transfer or registering to school."

Keith Swift,
With 100 more students, have you added teachers?

Maud Hyde,
"We have added teachers, we have strengthened the staff, there were some classrooms here that were not fully utilized so we are expanding, we are doing some repairs, and so there have been some work done on the campus itself."

So far Sadie Vernon Technical High has 240 students and the school is still accepting applications for enrollment. Classes begin on September 5th. Classes at Excelsior Junior High begin on September 12th.