Anna Regina Government Secondary School (ARGSS) was the creation of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s focused and courageous commitment to education.  The doors opened on May 8th, 1961, during that historic period when Guyana was a still a British colony.  So the ensuing blooming of ARGSS into ARSS, then to ARMS, along with its present success, is the product of that single moment in time.  He solved the issue of the location of the school by having it housed in the Anna Regina Land Development Scheme office building.  Four classrooms, at each corner, were created and the center room functioned as an assembly room where we congregated every morning before dispersing to Forms 1A, 1B, 1C and 2.  A year later, the central assembly room became a fifth classroom, and the school expanded to forms 2 and 3.

The building was supported by four brick columns, and the headmaster’s office was on the ground floor, adjoining the janitor’s office, which stored “sport equipment.”  Standing outside the headmaster’s office, awaiting punishment, meted out by the headmaster, always generated fear and contrition.  That spot allowed a view of the post office on the left and further beyond, the “high bridge” (over which is the public road and under which the sugar punts passed on their way to Georgetown via the Atlantic).  On the right was a grey cinderblock building that later housed the physics and chemistry classrooms, staffed mainly by expatriate teachers.

The early years of ARSS cannot be described without discussing the influence of the first permanent headmaster, Mr. K. A. L. Brown.  Mr. E. W. London was the transient headmaster for the first few months allowing Mr. Brown to complete responsibilities as the Queen’s College Geography teacher, preparing students for A levels.  Mr. Brown was officially installed in 1961.  He was a “giant” of a man, over 6 feet tall.  However he was a soft-spoken and unassuming man, who floated around the classroom like a feather and never disturbed his surroundings, when he unexpectedly appeared next to you.  He seemed to be omnipresent.  Mr. Brown not only taught biology, geography and art - he was an accomplished artist – while he was headmaster, but also gave the school personality and credibility.  We were fortunate to have a man of his stature, character and humanity to be our first headmaster.  Not surprisingly, he had the greatest influence on the lives of the first group of students, myself included.

Students were “bussed” from both ends of the coast, Charity and Supenaam.  One can appreciate the physical and economic hardships this placed on students and their families.  Many excelled at GCE “O” Levels in English, Latin, Art and Literature, the latter of which was among the subjects taught by Mrs. Moira Brown, the Headmaster’s wife.  Students were charged $17.50 per term, a hardship for those with limited financial resources.

Anna Regina was patterned after Queen’s College, and The Bishop’s High School.  Like those schools, organized intramural sports was an integral part of the curriculum.  We had numerous teachers who were part of international organizations, like the Peace Corps, British VSOs, and Canadian CUSOs.  We were also fortunate in the early years to have a number of Essequibian “scholars” who returned from QC and Bishops’, to serve as our core teachers.  A great joy was competing against Onderneeming Boys’ School, where at the end of the game, we were fed bread and milk produced by the Boys' school.

As former students and teachers of ARSS, we are very proud and excited about the academic successes.  This is in no small part due to the “quest for continued learning,” exemplified by the present Headmaster, Laljeet Ruplall (himself a former student).

ARSS produced Guyana Scholars, and was the breeding ground for many other scholarships, awarded by other academic institutions elsewhere.  Its tradition of academic excellence, born from the foresight and will in 1961, continues in full strength today.

Written and Complied By Alumni : Aubrey Gooray (1961-1966)

VENISHA Devi Lall continues to make Region Two proud with her excellent academic performances.

At just 16 years old, the Anna Regina Secondary School student has already accomplished something remarkable.

Lall wrote 29 subjects at the 2024 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and managed to secure 18 Grade Ones, eight Grade Twos and three Grade Threes.

In 2019, a then pupil of the CV Nunes Primary, she was the country’s top National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) performer. Although awarded a place at Queen’s College, her parents opted to have her remain in Region Two.

Lall, an ardent debater, was able to maintain 97-99 per cent throughout her secondary school years.

She is the only child of Radika Lall, an accountant currently acting as Town Clerk, and Muneshwar Lall, a contractor.

Despite her youth, Venisha’s dedication and hard work have set her on a path to a bright future, one that she has already begun to shape with a deep passion for economics.

Venisha’s ambition is to become an economist, a goal that drives her every decision. Her interest in the subject isn’t just academic; she envisions a future where she plays a pivotal role in crafting economic policies that address global challenges.

To achieve this, Venisha plans to pursue an advanced degree, such as a Master’s or even a Ph.D., focusing on economic theories and quantitative methods.

She dreams of working with international organisations or government agencies, applying her knowledge to real-world issues, and possibly venturing into the private sector to help businesses navigate the complexities of the global economy.

Her journey so far has been anything but easy. Venisha took on the challenge of writing 29 subject, a feat that required not only intellect, but also immense discipline and perseverance.

She recalls the long hours of study, the struggle to manage her time effectively, and the pressure to excel in every subject. There were moments of doubt, anxiety, and exhaustion, but these challenges only strengthened her resolve.

One of Venisha’s greatest motivators was the doubt of others—those who told her she couldn’t achieve what she had set out to do.

Instead of letting their words discourage her, she used them as fuel to push herself harder.

Her accomplishments in the CSEC examinations are a testament to her determination.

Reflecting on her success, Venisha said she felt a deep sense of pride. The journey was tough, but the results have validated her efforts and boosted her confidence as she looks toward the future.

She is grateful for the support she received along the way—from her family and her private teachers.

As Venisha stands on the cusp of adulthood, she is motivated and prepared to continue her pursuit of excellence.

Her story is not just one of academic success, but also one of resilience, determination, and a clear vision of the future she wants to achieve.

As a young child, we all have dreams and we plan our lives around those dreams but as we grow older and reality kicks in, we are forced to accept that our dreams are sometimes too farfetched. That was the same dilemma Rajkumarie Lall found herself in when she was ready to enter into the world of work a few decades ago.

The 48-year-old teacher has been attached to the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School for over two and a half decades but has been teaching for over 30 years. For someone who has been in a profession for so long, one would think that they always dreamed of doing just that but that was not the case of Miss Radha, as she is popularly known.

Miss Radha has always dreamt of becoming a lawyer to lift herself and family out of poverty. She explains that while growing up on the Island of Wakenaam in the Essequibo River her family was extremely poor but saw education as a way of breaking the cycle of poverty.

“My father always encouraged us to do good in school and focus on our education since he saw that as the way of getting us out of poverty. So we did just that and because of our situation I could not follow my dreams of becoming a lawyer and I had to take the first job that was offered to me and that was teaching,” she said.

After being a part of the profession for so long, Miss Radha has come to love it and cannot see herself doing anything else. She says that the level of excitement she experiences when her students excel and not only exams but at life, in general, is far too great to measure.

She would have received her secondary education in part at the Essequibo Island Secondary School and completed at the North Georgetown Secondary and subsequently joined the staff at the North Georgetown in October of 1987.

She attended the Cyril Potter College of Education from 1988 to 1991 and graduated as a trained teacher in the Pre-Vocational Studies programme. In 1991 she was transferred to her alma mater, Essequibo Island Secondary on her home Island where she taught for three years. She would later get married and moved to the Essequibo Coast which caused her to be transferred ARMS in 1994 where she remains a teacher to date.

“However, for 4 of those years, I was seconded to Queen’s College in order to attend the University of Guyana in 2012. My experience at the University of Guyana was very rewarding and because of my age and experience I graduated in 2016 as the Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Education and Humanities.”

During that time she also received several awards with two being the closest to her hear. She received the Vice-Chancellor Special Awards and the Guyana Teachers Union Award.

During her years of teaching, she has seen her students and the sector evolve beyond expectations. She notes that every student comes to school with different abilities and to tap into that is the teacher’s responsibility. The teacher is there to nurture and provide the right kind of guidance to that student so that they can become the best version of themselves which ultimately aids the progression of development.

However, Miss Radha is not all about sugarcoating things for her students rather she likes to give them doses of reality in order to better prepare them for the world ahead. She is not focused on producing students who are only good on paper but also students who can function in the capacities they ought to.

“My love and empathy towards my students, especially the underprivileged, is my strong point. Their issues are my issues and their successes are my successes. I create a special bond with my students so that they trust me to confide in me so we can get over obstacles together and become the individuals we were destined to become,” she says.

Her philosophy is finding the joy in the simplest things in life since life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. 

My dad, just like his dad before him, was a goldsmith. He always asked me to help in his workshop. When I wasn't in school, I often found myself doing little jobs here and there. This made me feel useful, knowing that I was contributing to the family business. By the time I graduated from high school, I felt confident that I could carry on the family tradition by myself. I worked for two years with my dad before emigrating to Toronto at the age of 18.

After two weeks in a new country, I found a job in my field of interest, goldsmithing. I initially worked with silver, utilizing only a small part of the skills I had honed in my dad’s workshop. I always liked school and knew that one day I would want to further my education. So, in the evenings, I took part-time courses in Business Administration. After three years in my initial job, I left for a better-paying one where I could really use my skills as a goldsmith.

It was at this job that I met my wife of 45 years. She had just graduated from the Jewellery Arts Program at the local college. Although she had no experience as a goldsmith, designing was her strength. We soon made the bold move to strike out on our own by opening our studio: Sheriff Jewellery Designs! Our pieces were exhibited in galleries and shows in Toronto, garnering "Best in Show" many times!

At the age of 36, I decided to get serious about school and enrolled in a four-year Electronics Engineering Program. The program was attractive because it offered three semesters of full-time work. In my last work semester, I embarked on a trajectory that led me to a successful career in Broadcast Engineering spanning 24 years: four years in Test Engineering and 20 years in Sales. Our company was at the leading edge of the analog-to-digital transition, serving the TV Broadcast industry. While in sales, I visited many TV studios across Canada and witnessed how our technology was used in shaping content for TV, computers, and cell phones. Our company had a global presence, affording me the opportunity to travel.

I had made myself a promise that I would retire on my 65th birthday, regardless of how successful I was in my broadcast career. With 1.5 years to go before retirement (during COVID), I was offered an attractive retirement package that was too good to refuse. My career journey has been a testament to the power of following one’s passion and embracing change.

In retirement, I continue to stay actively engaged with my community. I have been an integral part of a Multi-Generation Community, serving as the Chair Assistant and a member of the Board of Directors. My involvement extends to the Audit & Finance Committee and the HR Committee, helping ensure smooth operations. I also volunteer at the local food bank.

I continue to explore my passions: hiking, cycling, golf, and foreign languages (Spanish, French, and Italian). I still keep in touch with my ex-coworkers in the broadcast industry, fascinated by the rapid pace of innovation.

I am not working, but I have a very important job: taking care of my health 😊 

My name is Bob Schmitt, and I taught Geography at ARGSS from 1968 to 1971. I would like to share some reflections on my time at ARGSS.

When I finished university in Canada in 1968, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. At my university, there was an organization called CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas) that was recruiting people for various jobs, mostly teaching positions in different countries. I applied and was accepted as a teacher, assigned to Guyana. After months of preparation, I landed in Guyana and was informed that I would be teaching Geography at Anna Regina Secondary School. At the time, I wasn’t sure where in Guyana that was, but I was excited to find out. I had a week to travel and settle in before school started, and I was warmly welcomed by the staff and students. Many of the teachers and students became good friends, and some remain my friends to this day.

Guyana had many wonderful new experiences in store for me. Coming from a country with a cold climate, I quickly adapted to the warm tropical weather. I had never eaten curry before, but it soon became one of my favorite dishes. At first, I struggled to understand Creolese, but after a few months of immersion, I could comprehend it well—this was a real breakthrough for me. However, the best part of Guyana was the people. They were incredibly friendly and always willing to help a foreigner settle in. I boarded with a Hindu family in Anna Regina, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the country and its culture.

Now, let me focus on ARGSS. It was a great school, and I witnessed firsthand the sacrifices that parents made to enroll their children there. The students were brilliant, hardworking, and determined to excel. It makes me feel humbly proud and happy to have spent three years teaching at ARGSS in such a beautiful country, surrounded by dedicated students. Many of my former students are now professionals—doctors, lawyers, professors, and businesspeople—who are making a difference in the world. I feel truly blessed to consider so many of them my friends.

A wonderful bonus to my time in Guyana was meeting a lovely lady from Adventure, Essequibo, whom I later asked to be my wife. Together, we have three children—the oldest of whom is in heaven, while the other two have followed in my footsteps and become educators.

I often think of Guyana, the great people I met there, and the many happy moments I spent in the country. I fell in love with Guyana and even considered living there permanently, but life sometimes takes us in different directions. Now, most of my wife’s family is within easy reach of where we live in Canada.

I wish I could be there in person, but please know that I will be there in spirit. I hope that everyone attending the reunion has a fantastic time reminiscing and enjoying each other’s company. My prayers, thoughts, and best wishes are with all of you.

May God bless you and keep you safe and well. May you continue to be as friendly as you were all those years ago and continue to pass your brilliance on to others. 

Arthur (Art) Gooray began his career in education as a Physics teacher at Anna Regina Secondary School from 1975 to 1976, where he taught O-Level and A-Level Physics. His passion for teaching and mentorship was evident early on, shaping his future contributions to academia and industry.

He is a distinguished professional with a broad career in technology commercialization and partnerships, particularly focused on translating academic and governmental research into marketable products. He is an experienced mentor in technology commercialization, with over 70 patents to his name. His career spans roles with major organizations like Xerox and Eastman Kodak, where he was instrumental in developing successful industrial partnerships and advancing product platforms in the printing and publishing industries.

Dr. Gooray also served as a key liaison between industry and academic institutions, particularly as an executive liaison for Howard University. He has been involved in educational programs at various universities, including creating professional degree programs in product development at institutions like MIT. His expertise has led him to mentor technology-based ventures and assist with grant and funding programs, fostering innovation across industries.