Those of us who went to Kingston College between 1959 and 1989 must remember General Science teacher, Sonia Serrant. The alumna of St. Hugh’s and Wolmers’ High School, taught at KC for 30 years. She initially taught Biology and Latin but was assigned to the Melbourne Campus in 1963 when the teaching of Latin was phased out of the curriculum. There she spent the remainder of her teaching career until she retired. Today she is 80 years of age and presently resides at the Hopefield Nursing Home, where she has been for the past 7 years.
When I visited the nursing home, I wondered to myself what she would look like. However, I was not disappointed when I was ushered into the visitor’s lounge and saw her. Although aged, she still carried her trademark of charm and exuded the same warmth of 42 years ago when I first met her in 1 Delta at the Melbourne campus.
Many of us of the 1st form of 1964, and indeed generations after, can recall General Science teacher, Sonia Serrant. All would agree, that quite apart from been a very good teacher, she was a heart throb. Touché. She was a vision of loveliness and as youngsters we all day dreamed about her. She walked and strolled elegantly. The way she talked, dressed and smiled were almost reminiscent of the teasing Dorothy Dandridge of “Carmen Jones’ or the voluptuous Marlin Monroe of “Something got to give’ or indeed the Southern Daughter, Vivien Leigh in “Gone with the Wind.” People of the class such as Ransford Robertson, Patrick Cameron and Carl “Didi” Campbell tried to woo her and win her heart assuming the role of Humphrey Bogart of “Casa Blanca”, Clarke Gable in ‘Gone with the Wind’, Mario Lanza in “Student Prince” and the Old Man River, Paul Robeson of “River Boat.” Of course, Earl Pittter who lived just behind her Cleveland Road residence, often climbed his coconut tree to thrill her with the Tristezas of the bolero Jose ‘Pepe’ Sanchez .
Miss Serrant was always the first to arrive at school each day as her home was just a stone’s throw from the Upper Elleston Road campus. She never alighted from the drop off car until school was called to order. Sometimes we were all vexed and indeed jealous wehn she stayed in the car for hours chatting with her unidentified escort, never alighting until the first bell rang. This was so on a particular Friday morning. On this day, we all knew she would be making a fashion statement. The week before, the dress was elegantly casual, flowing down to the ankle; there was a matching handbag, the shoe was a bright yellow and the lipstick very ebony behind flashing ivory teeth; there was a necklace of pearl and the hair tied in a bonnet. When she finally alighted this week, there were whistles all around from the students and ooh!! , aah!! and wow!! from the males teachers like Mr. Forsythe, Mr. Bruce, Mr. Excel and Patrick Robinson. Vice Principal Bruce cleared his throat and threatened caning if boys did not return to their classes immediately On this occasion the cheeks were pink to the touch, stockings were shocking, the lips mellifluous and the perfume a la Parisienne.
Miss Serrant taught us how to study if only by rote. She was a motivator and rewarded excellence with a smile, a hug, a kiss and a box of chocolate. Everyone wanted to be first in her class- just only for the love. ”If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride,” she often reminded, a quotation we would hear in the second form from her alter ego and our math teacher, Joyce Baxter.
As a science teacher, we first learnt from her such terms as germination, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, metamorphosis, the iris and the pupil. Where germination was concerned our first lab was watching the germination of the red pea and the metamorphosis of an insect through the various stages. We also learnt how to identify flowers and plants such as the orchid, anthurium, bougainvillaea, oriella, lignum vitae, hibiscus, poinciana and poinsettia.
How we cried on the last day at school in the summer of 1964. We knew we would never see her the following year as we were being transferred to 2 Delta over the North Street campus. One of the class valedictorians, Herbert Thomas, broke down and cried when he presented her with a goodbye gift on behalf 1 Delta. She kissed him on the cheek and as she hugged him reached for her handkerchief.
