Mrs. Blake was the honoured guest of the Valedictory Ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre yesterday, when many tributes were paid to her.

Twenty-six years ago, the Jamaican-born teacher accompanied her husband, Mr Byron Blake, to these shores. Mr Blake, who is now the Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM, was present at yesterday’s function in honour of his wife.

During those years, Mrs. Blake made a substantial contribution to the process of moulding thousands of brilliant young minds. She was a driving force for instilling values to the students of the institution.

Principal of Queen’s College, Mrs. Wendell Roberts, described ‘CPB’, as Mrs. Blake is also referred to, as “a colleague, a sister in Christ, and someone who stood for the values, goals and traditions of QC”.

“She learnt very early what stood for excellence in work, general deportment, and a commitment to carry on the prestige of the school,” Mrs. Roberts offered during her presentation yesterday.

The Principal further noted that Clare Blake, a mother of three, is a stalwart, who remained dedicated to the field of education despite the changing political climate in Guyana.

“She came to Guyana, with the (advent) of free education from nursery to university, the introduction of CXC and School Based Assessment (SBA), National Fourth Form Achievement Test (NFFAT), Secondary School Reform Project (SSRP) and now the National Third Form Examination.”

The English Language and English Literature tutor prepared students for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the Advance Levels of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations and reported an average 90 per cent pass annually.

Besides English Language and English Literature, Mrs. Blake also taught students in Drama and Eloquence.

Mrs. Roberts recalled that when ‘CPB’ joined the Queen’s College family, ‘she had a knack of getting everyone involved in (co-curricular) activities...”

“She did all things necessary to meet the challenges of the day,” the Principal remarked.
Principal Roberts also reflected on the difficult time teachers, students and parents were experiencing when the building was gutted by fire in 1997. Mrs. Blake remained strong in body, mind and spirit, she said.

“We thank you for the spirit (portrayed) when the school was on fire and its aftermath. We thank you for the words of support and comfort. You are a source of inspiration,” Mrs. Roberts declared.

A teacher par excellence, was how former Principal of QC, Mrs Diana Rutherford described ‘CPB’.

Mrs. Rutherford said that Mrs. Blake mentored her on the customary activities of the school when she first took office, and was a “storehouse of knowledge”.

“She is the school’s institutional memory. She taught, mentored and gave of her heart to her students,” Mrs. Rutherford stated.

As a Vestry member of Christ Church, Mrs. Blake demonstrates the same zeal in Christian activities as she does in her profession.

“She not only left footprints on the sands of time at QC, but also on the lives of many out of QC”.

Tributes to Mrs. Blake were also paid by her eldest son; by Canon Thurston Riehl of Christ Church Parish; and by teachers and former students.

In response, Mrs Blake said her appearance on the Queen’s College stage in September in 1976 “was a sheer accident”.

The outgoing Deputy Principal said she was encouraged by her university batch mates to join the teaching profession. And, according to her, “the rest is history”.

“Queen’s College was a welcoming, but intimidating stage. The School had a long and well-deserved reputation for excellence, not only in the academic disciplines, but in the co-curricular activities and in the molding of well rounded graduates.”

“These were the traditions that had to be kept and to which I was expected to contribute,” she noted.

Mrs. Blake confessed that Queen’s College, which once experienced dynamic changes, suffered a period of “creeping disrepair” in the mid-1980s, due to a variety of factors.

Among them, she said, were a shift of government resources for the construction of a competing stage and a change in the management of the actors.

“Most importantly, few questioned the reducing share of the budget to the social sectors such as education and health.”
“One of the consequences of the changed circumstances of QC from the 1980s was the decline in the number and quality of the teaching staff, which moved from 69 in 1982/83 to 44 in 1990/91 with only a marginal recovery to 47 today,” Mrs. Blake stated.

The Deputy Principal also pointed out that the number of graduate teachers (trained and untrained) declined from 31 in 1981/82 to 19 in 1990/91. This number has increased today to 28.

She lamented the fact that five years after fire destroyed the great auditorium and the physical stage and records, the structure has not been rebuilt.

“This is a challenge that cannot be met by any one group of the Queen’s College community. It must be tackled vigorously and collectively by all stakeholders in, and associated with Queen’s College.”

Mrs. Blake confessed that overall, her time at QC was an overwhelmingly positive experience.

“I lament, however, the decline in standards and commitment across the profession, and what seems less than full regard for teachers by influential members of society.”

She suggested that the root causes of these developments must be carefully studied and urgent steps taken to fundamentally address the situation.

Mrs Blake advised students to remain connected with the school, after they have successfully completed their programmes, by joining the old students body.

A trained teacher, she also holds a Masters Degree in Curriculum Development from the University of Guyana, and a post-graduate Diploma in Education from the Mona, Jamaica Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).