Tashieka Mair photo
Rudolph, along with wife Angella, proudly displays his Governor-General's and Prime Minister's awards for his contribution to education.
Tashieka Mair, Outlook Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The education sector has been blessed with 71 years of dedication and sterling contribution from Rudolph Brown, principal of the Albert Town High School and his wife, Angella, principal of the Lowe River Primary and Junior High School.
The Trelawny couple met during a leadership workshop in Mandeville in 1975, and for them it was love at first sight.
On December 4 that same year, they exchanged vows to love and respect each other for the rest of their lives.
"We met on a Thursday and by the end of the week I got a letter from him," Mrs. Brown recalled.
At the time when they met, Mr. Brown was the headmaster of the Lowe River All-Age School in Trelawny.
Principal
The husband, who attended the Mico Teachers' College between 1967 and 1970 before pursuing his degree in educational administration at the University of the West Indies in the 1980s, was offered the position of principal at Lowe River while he was a teacher at the Knox Community College in Manchester.
According to Mr. Brown, it was not easy making the transition from Knox, which was an institution with a teacher student ratio of 25:1, to Lowe River where the classrooms were used as animal refuge, and were terribly vandalised.
"To be very honest when I came to Lowe River and I saw the physical facilities, I was really turned off; very disappointed and I told my friend that I was going to turn down the offer and go back to Knox because it was extremely challenging," Mr. Brown told Outlook.
Revolution
However, he was encouraged by his family and friends to take up the offer, and worked hard to improve the structure.
This would mark the start of a revolution as the school, which for about five years never received any Common Entrance Examination passes, got three in 1975, one year after Mr. Brown took over the reins as principal.
The school's population also grew from 500 to 1,100 students. Mr. Brown now has no regrets about his decision to move to Trelawny, as his hard work has paid off for the children whom he has greatly influenced.
"If I had not taken this job, I would not have met my lovely wife, so in the long run it paid off beautifully," he joked.
His St. Ann-born wife, Angella, started her teaching experience as a pre-trained teacher for two years at her alma mater, Mount Waddy All-Age, before acquiring formal training in primary education at Moneague Teachers' College, St. Ann in 1973.
The 54-year-old educator related that her desire to become a teacher was driven by a need to see children excel.
"I love children, I love to see them excel and when I see them doing well and know that I played a role in their success, I feel really fulfilled," she stated.
She joined the staff at Lowe River as a grade six teacher, a mere month after tying the knot.
She said that when she became vice-principal in 1986, it was not viewed by staff as a bias decision being the wife of the principal. Her colleagues were very supportive, as they knew that "I worked and studied hard to get where I am."
That year, 15 of her students passed their Common Entrance, a sign of marked improvement for that institution.
Mrs. Brown boasts a diploma in education from Sam Sharpe Teachers' College, Bachelor of Arts degree in primary education and a Master of Science in counselling psychology from the Northern Caribbean University.
She also has a diploma in management from St. Vincent University in Canada and is presently pursuing her master's in that area.
Her leadership has helped to change the face of the institution, which has also seen not only academic improvement, but also development in the areas of performing arts, sports, information technology and extra-curricular activities.
Albert Town
She took over from her husband as principal in 2001 when her husband took up the head job at Albert Town High School.
"I have no intention of leaving Lowe River because there are still several plans I have for the school which have not been realised, so I have to complete my work here before I even think of retirement or leaving the school," Mrs. Brown explained.
However, her husband, who received the 2005 Prime Minister's Award and the Governor-General's Award in 2001 for his contribution to education, will be going into retirement at the end of this year.
For him though, his departure from the classroom will not be a time for total rest and relaxation, as he plans to remain quite busy with activities that he was not able to do as much while at school.
"After 42 years, you want a little time to relax and evaluate. For the first few months, I will need a little time to, as the young people would say, 'cool out'," the 62-year-old principal, who hails from the rural community of Baillieston in Clarendon, added.
"One other activity that I like very much is farming and this is a farming area and at present I am a yam farmer. My parents in Clarendon, who are both deceased, had quite an amount of idle land there so I am looking in that direction."
When the couple, who share two daughters and a son, was asked what was the binding factor in their relationship, Mrs. Brown responded that even though she is a Seventh-day Adventist, and her husband worships at the United Church, God is the third party in the relationship; mutual respect, trust and unconditional love for each other has held them together.
Philosophy
"My philosophy is: Let the Lord lead you, so we pray together and share together and we have been blessed," Mrs. Brown stressed.
Their children, all university graduates, are also Adventists but this has not affected their relationship as they respect each other's decision.
"Marriage is not to enslave you so no one should try to imprison anyone in a relationship; they must be given the freedom to do what makes them happy," Mr. Brown interjected.
Mr. Brown, who is actively involved in eight committees and organisations, still returns to his church in Baillieston where he preaches every third Sunday.
