Selfies, nostalgia and tears of joy as St Joseph’s alumni go back to school
▶ Former pupils and teachers from around the world gather to share fond memories of their time in class
More than 100 former pupils of Abu Dhabi’s oldest private school have returned to the classroom for an emotional reunion.
Proud members of the classes of 1990 to 2005 at St Joseph’s School travelled to the capital from around the world to turn back the clock.
It was the first reunion to be held by the Indian-curriculum Catholic school, which was established in 1967.
Several female past pupils at the school, where boys study only until Grade 4, flew in from the US, India, Bahrain and Kuwait to be part of the special gathering on Saturday.
St Joseph’s is managed by the Apostolic Vicariate of the Roman Catholic Church of Arabia and is run by the Carmelite Sisters of St Teresa, India.
The school, once located along the Corniche, is today housed in a modern campus in Mushrif near St Joseph’s Catholic Church.
IT professional Lekshmi Shaiju travelled from the US to be part of the reunion, 30 years after her last day at school.
“There are so many memories tucked in every corner,” she said.
“On these very stairs we used race up to our classes. Nothing much has changed here except for the projectors and smart boards.”
A recurring memory for Ms Shaiju, 46, was the school’s morning assembly.
“The notes of the angelic church music still reverberate in my ears,” she said.
“We used to look forward to the talent show performed every day by a new student.”
Dubai resident Komal Raipancholia was also visiting the school for the first time since she graduated in 1990.
Engulfed in a wave of nostalgia, she reflected on her craft lessons, sports meet-ups and the much-anticipated annual Christmas bazaar.
“Held in the school grounds, it was really the highlight of the year for me,” she said.
“The entire class would start making paper cutouts of Christmas decor much in advance to adorn the classroom windows that overlooked the bazaar area.”
The festival itself was attended by her entire family where they played carnival games and bought an array of gifts.
“We also helped out at the stalls in the bazaar selling Christmas cakes and cookies, or stand in at the usual darts or ring-toss games,” she said.
Ms Raipancholia’s younger sister Shyamal Bhatia, who graduated from St Joseph’s a few years later, travelled from Bahrain to be part of the reunion.
An avid fan of sport, Ms Bhatia took a keen interest in athletics during her school days, excelling in relay races, the shot put and long jump. The sisters are the fifth generation of an Indian family that has lived in Abu Dhabi for several decades.
Six children from their extended family have attended the school.
They said the school and the teachers have had a profound impact on their lives.
“The school helped me become a strong individual,” said Ms Bhatia.
“I was a shy student but my teachers encouraged me to take up drama and perform in front of an audience to gain confidence.”
The school tour was followed by a cultural programme and dinner.
Preparations for the reunion began about a year ago, said Aneeta Langford, one of the core members of the organising team. Now a multi-storey building, a school which began with only 70 pupils in four classrooms in a house on the beach now serves about 1,300 learners.
Ten senior teachers, who worked in the school for several decades, were also part of the reunion.
Vimla Simon, 76, first came to the UAE in November 1969 and within a few days joined the school.
“We were a handful of teachers back then,” she said.
“I taught all subjects to children of various nationalities.”
Ms Simon left and rejoined the school three times, finally retiring in 2008.
Mariamma Rameshkumar has taught chemistry and maths in the school for 35 years.
She has twice been recognised by the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Teaching Excellence. The school remains a popular choice for parents as it provides high quality and affordable education, she said.
Ms Rameshkumar has lived in Abu Dhabi for about 40 years and has seen the city become a sprawling metropolis.
“I had moved from bustling Mumbai in 1985 to find that life was so quiet in Abu Dhabi,” she said.
“There were only a few buildings in Khalidiya where we lived and just two supermarkets – Choithrams and K M Trading.”
For Parvati Prabha, who studied at the school from 1978 to 1991, life in Abu Dhabi in the 1980s and 1990s were golden years, with minimal traffic, easy access to shopping malls and a close-knit community to be part of.
“After school, many evenings were spent enjoying long walks at the Corniche, at the gaming zone in Hamdan Centre or at the India Social Centre, where I trained in classical music, while my father played tennis,” said Ms Prabha, who works as an instructional designer in India.
Among her school memories, outings to Jumeirah Beach in Dubai and Hili Fun City in Al Ain remain the most prized.
She takes great pride in the nation’s progress, having witnessed UAE’s transformation from its early years.
“Abu Dhabi will always be home to me.
“Whenever I feel low, I wish I had the Corniche nearby.
“I believe a walk along it could set everything right.”