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Alpha Junior Years.

Mr. Aaron, Ms. Gardner, Sister Mechtilde (RIP),
Watching “Bina events from upstairs
Playing in school yard(marbles, gig,bird-hunting, cricket, soccer, track)
Nicknames
Mentoring/sheltering begins
OFF TO S.T.G.C.

Luigi attended Alpha Junior school primarily because it was Catholic-run but also because Dad worked at the Alpha Printery which was conveniently located less than a ½ mile away thus facilitating Dad dropping off and picking up. Early on, Sister Mechtilde - headmistress (RIP) - would walk Luigi and his first-born sister Sonia up to the printery to wait for Dad after school let out. Later, Luigi would stay after school to play with some current students and a few former Alpha Jnr students who had moved on to either Holy Trinity Snr, and/or nearby St.G.C., K.C., and Windsor. At lunch-time, Luigi would play with older schoolmates, peers, and younger schoolmates.

The list of names comprising all of these playmates of Luigi include a veritable Who’s Who of some of the most outstanding leaders, professionals, sports figures & athletes JA has ever produced: Bruce Golding, Ruddy, Fabian, & Donald Pierce, Winston (“Dee-Dirts”, “Dirks”) Campbell, Leopold Blake, Donald “Billy” Perkins, Alton Hilton, Winston “Camo” Campbell, Allan “Skill” Cole, Patrick “Pato” Kirkwood (RIP), Kenneth “Bop” Campbell, Lloyd “McKam” Walker, Norman “Guttu” Thompson (RIP), Carol “Duppy Dust” Smeikle, Lennox & Bill Robinson, Bobby "Zulu" and Derrick "Raph" Plummer, Eric “Poopie” Barrett, Errol “Bunny Grant” (EB) Barrett, Anthony Davis (Utech Dir. Of Sports), Trevor “TC” Campbell, Val Blackwood, "Flash" Allison, Ludlow & Roy Morris, Maurice and Delroy "Boardhead" Johnson, Michael "Pudding" and Maurice Ashman, and of course younger siblings Richard “Real Kill”, Kenneth “Dirty Harry”, and Michael. One can only imagine just how much the daily competitive pick-up games in the school yard contributed to the future successes of these super leaders and athletes.

Amidst such an abundance of astounding talent, Luigi had to be assertive from a very young age just to get into “pick-up” games during lunch. Then he later “paved” the way for his younger siblings by vociferously ensuring that we participated. This early “shepherding” by Luigi sort of contributed to his younger siblings being somewhat shy since we could “hitch a ride on BIG brother’s coattails” so to speak.

It was during one of these after-school pick-up games that Luigi got his first nickname when “Dirks” Campbell proclaimed “…bwoy how come that likkle youth deh look so handsome from in front but the back ah him head slope down like a shovel so?.....” Thus Luigi was dubbed and thereafter referred to as “Shovel-head” and, in typical JA fashion, older sister Sonia (to her dislike) was now referred to as “….Shovel-head sistah…”. Prior to this, younger brothers Michael, Richard, and Kenneth had the informal nickname of “…likkle Davey…” and then “Shovel-head likkle brother”.

Needless to say, younger brothers Michael, Richard, and Kenneth idolized, mimicked, and followed mostly everything that “Big” brother Luigi did and said and whereas older sister Sonia “hated” that reference, us younger brothers were proud to be referred to as “Shovel-head likkle brother”.

Luigi excelled academically and very early on exhibited a keen interest in and pronounced affinity toward mathematics which was devotedly nurtured by Mr. Aaron (one of the few if not the only male teachers at Alpha Jnr.). Later, the sophisticatedly elegant Ms. Gardner focused her seductive cat-like eyes on Luigi’s “Scholarship” (Island-wide Common Entrance Exam) preparation. While Mr. Aaron’s stern discipline helped to mold Luigi’s “quickness” in grasping and solving the assigned “MENTALS”, there’s no doubt that Ms. Gardner’s stunning beauty easily ensured rapt attention especially from the boys….

Upstairs was 5^th. class (Ms. Hobson, Ms. Gardner & Ms. Earle) and until you’ve progressed to an “upstairs” class you are a “little bwoy” who has not yet “made it”. One distinct, much-yearned-for privilege was to “make it to an upstairs” class so that you could watch events going on over at ‘Bina (i.e. Sabina Park which was directly across South Camp Rd. From Alpha Junior)…you see the National Stadium was not yet built and so the top local and international sporting events of the day (including Test cricket, Manning Cup soccer & Boys’ Champs) were all staged at ‘Bina and only the “upstairs” students could get to watch. As usual, Luigi made sure that even though his younger siblings were not "in an upstairs class", they still all got a chance to watch events staged at Sabina Park.

SCHOLARSHIP
Since St.GC was the only Catholic grant-in-aid high school that boys could attend in those days, the Nuns & Priests who had been so “entwined” in our lives “coaxed” Luigi’s Dad to insist that Luigi enter StGC as both his first and 2^nd. choices. You see in those days students passing very high (90-100) would be placed in their first choice school, students passing with 80-89 would be placed in their 2^nd. choice, those passing with a 70 to 79 would get place just about anywhere with available space, and students scoring 60-69 would receive a “half” scholarship.

Well the Ministry of Education ruled that Luigi had to list a different school as his 2^nd choice and so Luigi listed K.C. Of course a hastily arranged “offertory” mass was conducted (as it was previously done for sister Sonia who had passed for her first choice of Alpha Academy) to “bless” Luigi’s scholarship attempt. Alas! to the utter dismay of Dad and all the many expectant Nuns and Priests, the Gleaner showed that Luigi had earned a place at “Protestant” Kingston College (KC). Yes… Luigi had actually “passed” for KC (click Here to see Gleaner dated Sep 26, 1960 listing Luigi among the Scholarship winners) . However, before the perfunctory “celebratory” Mass, thanking the Lord for Luigi successfully achieving a passing grade, could be arranged, several Nuns & Priests (with Dad in tow) “laid siege” to the offices of the Hon Edwin Allen (then Minister of Education) begging that “……..a “Catholic Boy” simply cannot go to an “Anglican” school…. He must attend StGC”. Reluctantly, the Minister relented and Luigi was placed at StGC.

Thus… on this rather melodramatic note….Luigi “graduated” from Alpha Jnr. And was now headed to High School along with his key spar “Billy” Perkins (who actually started out at StGC with Luigi but later switched to KC)