PenDragon - the official magazine of Lyford Cay International School PenDragon Vol 2, Spring 2016 | Page 22

The Journey Home
Memories Of An LCIS Student
By Barbara Ann Bernard (1983-91)
Life is full of many journeys and many steps which often do not
reveal their meaning until later in life. Recently, upon reflecting
on my Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) experiences, I was
reminded of this and a TS Eliot quote:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
To paraphrase Eliot, sometimes we return from exploring only
to rediscover the place we left. At the age of 36, I have already
had many explorations, yet feel as if I am just embarking upon
my journey. Irrespective of where life takes me, I often come
back to my earliest days at LCIS and am reminded that this will
always be where it all started.
While many advancements have been made since I was a
student at LCIS, the fundamentals which made it such a positive
and formative experience for me are still very much at the
heart of the school. LCIS remains a warm, friendly place where
people feel valued and differences are celebrated. Students
are encouraged to “dream big.”
The first experience that led me to dream big was holding
the leadership role of Head Girl at LCIS. I remember feeling
honoured to have been nominated and took the responsibility
very seriously. That same year, I authored and published the
first school news publication, Lyford Cay School Times, along
with some of my classmates on the school’s first computer,
which we had to take turns using. With these accomplishments
achieved, I also distinctly remember fearing that I had reached
my pinnacle at the ripe age of ten. I questioned if I was just a
big fish in a small bowl.
Transitioning to high school required taking the bus to the
other end of New Providence to a significantly larger school, St
Andrew’s, as LCIS only went up to Grade 6 at the time. While this
was daunting at first, fears about leaving LCIS and my comfort
zone were unfounded. I delighted in learning new sports and
making new friends, and it wasn’t long before I realised that
LCIS had fully equipped me for this next phase of personal and
intellectual growth.
After Grade 9, I boarded at Lakefield College School in Canada.
I experienced the same initial fears that I had when I left LCIS.
But, it wasn’t long before I was participating in rowing and cross-
country skiing. I joined the debate team, met new people and
adjusted to life in minus 10-degree weather!