Phoenix - The Festival

Holy Name Convent Secondary was founded by French Dominican nuns in 1902. These nuns arrived in Trinidad in 1868 not to teach, but to take charge of the Leper Asylum. After the eruption of Mount Peleé in Martinique in 1902 the French nuns began to give private lesson to a young Martiniquan girl named Leonie Marie Raynaud whose parents had died in the eruption. Following this a few parents who were impressed with the high standard of French tutorship petitioned the sisters to start a ‘private school’. The class quickly increased in number to thirty. As the years passed by more pupils were taken in and the school became known as the ‘Notre Dame School’ named after the building in which the classes were held. The present foundations of the Holy Name Convent Secondary were laid by Sr. Jeanne Emmanuel Barriere (principal 1938-1961) and Sr. Bernadette Robert. Over the period of tenure by Sr. Jeanne two blocks were established resembling the present day structure in order to accommodate more classrooms for the school. Holy Name Convent Secondary, always admired for the high standard of education offered, was accorded the title of ‘Approved Secondary school’ in 1949 and then in 1957 the status of a ‘Government Assisted School’.