My Experience as a Student of Notre Dame School

By Safiatu Ceesay, Grade 9 graduate (Outing Head Girl)

There is a common adage that says: “Experience is the best teacher.” Indeed, I am writing this piece to confirm and affirm the above statement as a living testimony of my nine years of experience in Notre Dame School.

It all started when I gained admission into Notre Dame School, run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Indeed, it was an excitement for me and several others to attend a school run by religious women from different backgrounds. There were also many of us from different parts of The Gambia, too.This represented the composition of our school at that time. We were blessed with a serene and conducive environment for holistic teaching and learning.

As years passed by, life was sweet and full of laughter for us. We lived in a friendly and amicable atmosphere where there was harmonious interaction between the teachers and the pupils. Every step we took to learn helped us to reach where we are today as graduates of Gambian Basic Education Certificate Examination (GABECE). No doubt, we each have fond memories of our great school, Notre Dame, though not without the petty quarrels we had as pupils and the stern disciplinary methods we went through for our own good.

Our teachers were like parents to us, who did all they could to help us achieve as successful people in the future. They inspired us in many ways and showed total dedication and commitment in helping us attain holistic education in both moral standing and academic pursuit. The non-teaching staff in the person of Pa Ceesay, Aunty Susan, and others kept the environment clean and tidy for us which distinguished Notre Dame School from all other schools in and outside the township for cleanliness and hygiene. A good toilet facility meant for all, frequent water supply and beautiful flowers, made our school environment suitable for learning and teaching, coupled with a peaceful atmosphere in and outside the class.

How can we forget our adorable sisters, the SSNDs whom we commonly called Holy Angels. Your motherly care, compassionate heart and the discipline that you instill in us helped us a lot. In fact, we lack words to thank you for all you did for us. Despite our stubbornness in many ways, you never got tired to guide us. This has manifested in our lives today as graduates of this noble school.

To our beloved headmistresses, whom we spent some time with, in the persons of Sisters Lucy, Terry, and Terngu, we thank you all for molding us and building a strong and firm foundation for our lives. We appreciate your care and the good morals you taught us irrespective of our religious and cultural backgrounds. These made us different from other pupils in other schools and helped us to command respect and honour in the society. You made us proud young and talented kids as your contributions helped us to bring many achievements to the school and won significant prizes in the quiz, spelling, and debate competitions as well as taking the first position in the National Assessment Test at the regional level.

We singularly too, thank Sister Dawida, for her relentless efforts in helping us to learn many things especially in Arts and Crafts. Your giftedness in many ways helped us to know that education is not only about reading and writing, but also about using our hands and brains to do something extra.

We as well appreciate all our sponsors, donors, benefactors, known and unknown, who enabled many of our colleagues to gained education by paying their tuition fees and other commitments. You rescued us when our parents were unable to do so, thank you! May God Almighty bless and reward you abundantly.

To all other pupils who we left behind, please make use of the opportunity you have at Notre Dame School and do well as we did and make the school proud. Notre Dame School is a force to reckon with. It is the only home we know. Notre Dame School will always be in our hearts. We will miss the fun, games, the competitions, the cultural days, the examinations, and many other things we used to do together. We will come someday to give back to the school what we received in different ways, though not as a payment, but as an appreciation for what the sisters and the school administration did for us.

May God bless you all and keep you safe. Together we can do so much for Notre Dame School to the Glory of God.