WHEN THE Irish Dominican Sisters arrived at the present day location of St Dominic’s International School 30 years ago, all they found was a few tufts of grass, a shepherd and some raggedy sheep chewing away at what grass there was – no water anywhere and hardly a building in sight. Little did those Sisters know then how much the school would advance in the next 30 years…
Visit the location today and you will find a bustling hive of activity as St Dominic’s International School is now an educational home to almost 1,000 students from many differing nationalities, from nursery to IB leavers.
Last Saturday evening, Maria Empis and her dedicated team of the Past Pupils Association (PPA) organised a 30-year celebration dinner at the school. Irish Dominican Sisters, management, teachers and members of the PPA assembled to give thanks for the 30 years of the school at this present location.
Sister Aedris Coates OP spoke first of the fundamentals of the St Dominic’s, Miguel Martins talked of his days at the school 18 years ago and Jonathan Pinto read items taken from a time capsule. Commemorative medals were presented to a number of the Dominican sisters for their work and also to Bernadette Sá and Marie Bonnet da Silva for their 30 years of service. Floral presentations were given to those who had organised the event.
Cocktails were served in the reception area, followed by a mouthwatering meal, supplied by outside caterers, at the transformed gymnasium. Musical interludes and a video presentation of events that have taken place over the last 30 years followed. Walls were lined with photographs of the old and the new at the school.
This was a great night to remember all those who have helped to make St Dominic’s the school that it is today. Maria Empis of the PPA would like to especially thank Ana Gaivão and Marina Rodrigues, and all those who helped make the event possible, too numerous to mention. Bob Hughes
