{"id":377665,"date":"2026-10-20T06:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T06:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377665\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T06:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T06:50:10","slug":"queens-return-to-their-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377665\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Queens\u2019 return to their roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

First vice-president of The Queen\u2019s School Alumnae Association Aneeke Brown (left), and fashion designer past student (2007) Keneisha Williams (second right) are joined by students (from second left) Tabitha Campbell, Acacia Brown, and Jordannae Lawrence last Tuesday during the Queen\u2019s School Alumnae Week. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)<\/p>\n

THE halls of The Queen\u2019s School took on a special significance last week as generations of past students returned to the institution, not simply to revisit cherished memories, but to help shape the aspirations of the young women now following in their footsteps.<\/p>\n

Under the theme \u2018The Strength of Our Roots: The Making of a Queen\u2019, the school\u2019s Alumnae Week activities have placed legacy, sisterhood, and intergenerational engagement at the centre of the celebrations, reminding current students that the foundation laid by those who came before them carries a responsibility to nurture those who will follow.<\/p>\n

The activities form part of Jamaica\u2019s wider observance of National Alumnae Week, which culminated in National Alumnae Day last Wednesday, an initiative of the Jamaica Association of High Schools.<\/p>\n

For The Queen\u2019s School Alumnae Association (TQSAA), the annual observance is an opportunity to reconnect with the institution that helped shape its members while finding meaningful ways to contribute to its continued development.<\/p>\n

First Vice-President Aneeke Brown said the association was particularly excited about this year\u2019s programme, which has seen past students return to engage with the current student body through devotions, classroom presentations, and mentorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Queen\u2019s School Alumnae Association is very excited about Alumnae Week 2026. It has been a staple on the calendar for us since it was introduced some years ago, and this year was no exception,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

She pointed out that while the national theme focuses on the strength of one\u2019s roots, TQSAA added \u201cThe Making of a Queen\u201d to emphasise the importance of understanding the institution\u2019s history while continuing to grow into the values it represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to encourage our younger sisters, our future Queens. We want them to embody what makes a Queen, and our history is important. That\u2019s where the strength of our roots comes in,\u201d Brown explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to understand what it means to be a Queen and to honour the legacy set before them while embracing the unfinished versions of themselves,\u201d added Brown.<\/p>\n

\"(From<\/a><\/p>\n

(From left:) Aneeke Brown (Class of 2002), Natalie Farquharson (Class of 2004), Shereita Grizzle (Class of 2008) and Gabrielle Hamilton (class of 2010) got involved in the activities for National Alumnae Week on the grounds of The Queen\u2019s School on Tuesday, October 13.<\/p>\n

The celebrations began on Saturday, October 10 with a gala hosted by the Class of 1976 to mark 50 years since its members graduated from the institution.<\/p>\n

Held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, the reunion brought together former classmates, teachers, school representatives, and supporters to celebrate five decades of friendship and connection.<\/p>\n

The milestone gathering was followed by a service at St Andrew Parish Church on Sunday, October 11, where alumnae joined in worship and thanksgiving ahead of the week\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n

Monday brought the highly anticipated Alumnae Invasion as past students returned to the school for an alumnae-led devotion and classroom takeover.<\/p>\n

The morning\u2019s proceedings celebrated the contribution of generations of Queens while encouraging the present student body to remain grounded in its values and confident in its potential. The devotion also included the badging of the school\u2019s student leaders, with Ashley Brown pinned as head girl for the 2026-2027 academic year and Marcella Lewis and Ashley Dawkins badged as deputy head girls.<\/p>\n

Following a tour of the institution, alumnae visited classrooms to share experiences and engage students in conversations about identity, discipline, career development, purpose, resilience, and sisterhood.<\/p>\n

For Brown, the growing involvement of past students, particularly the younger generation, has been particularly heart-warming.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, I was one of the youngest, if not the youngest, member of the alumnae association, and so it\u2019s very heart-warming to see my younger sisters who graduated after me come in and become more involved,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/a><\/p>\n

Members of The Queen\u2019s School Class of \u201876 hand over a symbolic cheque of $1 million to Principal Jennifer Williams (right) during devotions on Monday, October 12. The money is slated to go towards refurbishing one of the science labs at the institution.<\/p>\n

Brown credited the association\u2019s executive team and public relations team, led by Denise Johnston, for their efforts to strengthen engagement and make it easier for former students to reconnect with the school.<\/p>\n

She said the response from the current students has also been encouraging, and many have expressed appreciation for the time and attention given to them by women who once occupied the same classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on feedback from our current crop of Queens, they really appreciate the time spent with them. They are in awe that there are students who spent their time here and are proud of that fact,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

She added that some students had been inspired by the encounters and were becoming more willing to embrace the school\u2019s ethos of \u201conce a Queen, always a Queen\u201d.<\/p>\n

The week\u2019s emphasis on nurturing future generations has also been matched by tangible support for the institution.<\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s devotion, the Class of 1976 donated $1 million towards the planned refurbishing of one of the school\u2019s science laboratory. The contribution was presented to Principal Jennifer Williams by Michele Moncrieffe, a member of the anniversary class and assistant secretary of the TQSAA, alongside fellow alumnae.<\/p>\n

The donation underscored the association\u2019s commitment to ensuring that its connection to the school extends beyond celebrations and fond recollections.<\/p>\n

For Brown, however, giving back need not always involve a financial contribution. She encouraged alumnae to consider the many other ways they can support the institution, whether by attending school events, sharing their professional experiences, speaking with students, or offering mentorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our hashtags for the school is \u2018#FloreatStraight\u2019, which really means to flourish always, and that\u2019s what we want for our ladies,\u201d added Brown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First vice-president of The Queen\u2019s School Alumnae Association Aneeke Brown (left), and fashion designer past student (2007) Keneisha…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-377665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}