Jarmila Jackson, Features Writer

NOEL - file

With a melodious mix of ska and rocksteady playing on the radio at his colourful home in Aylsham, St Andrew, veteran educator Keith Noel discusses his lifetime of achievements.

A multifaceted master of the arts, Noel's speech is theatrical, even though he is not onstage.

Noel, recently retired principal of St Jago High School, was born into a family of lovers of the arts. It was from it that he inherited the traits that made him who he is today.

"My mother was a thespian. She spoke beautifully, without sounding strange. Her speech was so beautiful and she taught us little poems and we would recite them and so on," he recalled. "My father was headmaster of the primary school. He would encourage it, so I had a lot of opportunities to perform them."

Put aside projects

Noel reveres his father, whom he credits for inspiring him to enter the classroom. Though Noel spent many years working on various drama, music and even dance projects, he put them aside for school administration. In 1992, he was offered the position of principal of the Spanish Town-based school.

"I knew it was a top-flight school, so my main hope was that I could keep the standard high, but to do it in my own way, to make my own little mark on it," he said.

Noel, who previously held vice-principalship at the all-boys' high school, Calabar, revolutionised St Jago's curriculum by adding subjects many thought "bright people didn't do".

He also inspired the school to award-winning excellence in the field of the arts, greatly influencing drama and forming a band diverse in its composition of Caribbean instruments.

Phenomenal

"We had a steel pan, and there is a little thing we have in Trinidad we call a Kombo, a drum and a keyboard, but then that band evolved into another band that was phenomenal, and I'm very proud of that band," he explained.

The former headmaster also formed a choir, and with his certification in choreography, an ever-expanding dance group.

Noel dedicated himself to developing sports at the school, along with the institution's religious presence, eventually succeeding in appointing a chaplain.

"I tried very hard for the school to be rounded, for the school to perform well academically and for the school to perform well in sports and for the school to perform well in arts and to perform well in terms of its spirituality. But I also tried to see how many of the individual students I could get involved in more than one activity," Noel added.

He was often criticised for his bold moves. "People used to say I was making it into an arts school, and we're an academic and sports school! But while they were saying that, we were winning Girls Champs and winning cricket."

Noel expressed his pride in the school and in how much it continues to achieve. He mentioned the commitment and contribution of the Rivoli community to St Jago's recent victory in TVJ's Schools' Challenge Quiz, by providing refreshments for the team after a long training session.

Though he only officially demitted office at the end of April, he already has a few plans for his retirement. He is finishing a new edition of one of his books, and writing a theatrical piece for Hampton School, among other projects.

"My pastor has asked that I become a member of the supplemental ministry. My friends in theatre say it is time for me to come back, but I have not yet fully decided what it is I'm going to do."

One thing is sure, he will not be inactive for too long. His wife, he said, will not allow it.

jarmila.jackson@gleanerjm.com