About Us
OUR STORIED HISTORY
How BAJS Was Formed
Bishop Arthur Henry Anstey, an Englishman and fourth Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago, did much for our country, both spiritually and educationally. He was instrumental in establishing Bishop Anstey High School in 1921 with which the Junior Department later became associated when, in 1939, a small private Kindergarten, housed in the Victoria Institute, found itself without a headmistress.
The wife of the Colonial Secretary suggested the school should be incorporated into Bishop Anstey High School. This suggestion was implemented and the children were soon housed in two large rooms, in a newly-built two-storey block, which was dedicated on February 2, 1940, by His Lordship the Bishop. Miss Richards became teacher-in-charge under the headship of Miss Dorothy C. Shrewsbury of the High School.
The Kindergarten evolved into a small junior section of the main school. Miss Christine Sutherland took over the reins as headmistress of both the High School and the Junior School in 1950. When Bishop Anstey High School ceased to be strictly private and began to receive Government assistance, it became necessary for the Junior Section to run separately under its own head-mistress. Miss Monica Eardley-Wilmot was appointed and held the post from 1959-1965. The school maintained very high standard of conduct and academic performance.
The next and first Caribbean headmistress was Mrs. Mona K. Georges. It was she who had the onerous task of supervising the moving of the Junior School in September of 1966 to its own building on the present site, the Monte Cristo estate in St. Ann’s. Here the school expanded rapidly facilitating the education of boys and girls from Kindergarten to Form (Standard) 5. New buildings were erected and a secondary department started. This eventually moved to Stanmore Avenue and became the Bishop’s Centenary College in 1972, a privately run institution.
The houses are named after the first four principals of the separated Bishop Anstey Junior School.
Principals (1940 - PRESENT):
- Ms Tina Schuler (2007 to present)
- Miss Grace Campbell (2002 to 2007)
- Dr. Patricia Dardaine-Ragguet (1999 to 2002)
- Mrs. Glenda Charles-Harris (1993 to 1998)
- Miss Joyce Kirton (1988 to 1993)
- Mrs. Marva Prada (1981 to 1988)
- Mrs. Jennifer Als (1972 to 1981)
- Mrs. Mona K. Georges (1966 to 1972)
- Miss Monica Eardley-Wilmot (1959 to 1965)
- Miss Christine F. Sutherland (1950 to 1959)
- Miss Dorothy C. Shrewsbury (1940 to 1950)
