What does a student, a former student, and a former headmistress have in common?

They attend, attended or have recently retired and still teach at Mount Saint Agnes Academy, which celebrates its 120th anniversary today.

Muriel Parker, who graduated in 1941, Sister Judith Rollo, who retired as headmistress five years ago, but who still teaches, and Tiffany Sousa, the current president of the Student Council, spoke to The Royal Gazette about their time at the MSA.

Miss Sousa, 17, said Mount Saint Agnes was her second home and she was very proud to be a student at the Academy.

"I am proud of my school heritage and how we have developed to this day, continuing to strive for academic excellence and morals of the Catholic religion," said the Smith's parish resident.

Miss Sousa's father also attended the school, so when it came to research she didn't have to go very far, as she said: "We have a ton of yearbooks lying around the house and throughout school, so it's interesting to look through them every so often to see the changes and traditions which have been kept throughout the years."

She added: "Just off the top of my head, besides our school's religious tradition, with keeping our Catholic faith and going to mass as a school for every religious celebration, there are still, believe it or not, similarities," said the youngster. "Our lovely school skirts are still around, although we don't wear ties anymore.

"The senior Ring Mass is a tradition that has been carried on for years! Students love house games and our annual bazaar that takes place once a year."

She added: "Mount Saint Agnes has also always been known for their outstanding Christmas concerts and our famous high school Glee Club."

Being a current student as the anniversary takes place is quite exciting for her, because she just loves her school.

"As the president of Student Council I have so much school spirit and I love getting involved in something as big as this, it is quite exciting for me.

"I think it is so nice how we as a whole school get to be a part of this anniversary so that in another 30, 40 or even 50 years other students can look back at our school life and what it was like for us."

The eldest graduate on the school's files is Muriel Parker, nee Baker. She graduated from Mount Saint Agnes when the school was located on Experiment Hill, which is on the corner of Cedar Avenue and Laffan Street.

The 88-year-old began her schooling at the Whitney Institute and although she couldn't recall when she began at MSA, she did remember transferring from the junior school to the high school in 1937.

Mrs. Parker graduated in 1941 and still holds her graduation certificates for bookkeeping and accounting, and her diploma.

When she attended MSA the nuns, who taught them, were dressed in full habit.

"I still remember Sister Marietta and I think she was something to do with or was related to local people, and Sister Agnes Encuria, and my commercial teacher was Sister Assumpta.

"All the nuns lived there in rooms or apartments, there was a chapel and everything. There was a terrific auditorium, but there wasn't much play area. It was compact, we used to skip and do things like that and play alleys or marbles." All the classes were of mixed aged classes.

Mount Saint Agnes were sticklers for politeness, excellence and poise, she said.

"My aunt worked at The Royal Gazette, which was on Reid Street, and one day I was leaving and this lady was coming in the door and I stepped back and I let her in.

"And she said to me, 'you're a convent young lady aren't you?' And I said, 'yes, I am', and after she was gone, I asked my aunt, who she was, and my aunt said she was the mistress from the Bermuda High School for Girls, Ms Rose Gosling.

"And I always remembered that, because they were sticklers for politeness and poise, and excellence really. The sisters were very conscious about that."

On how Bermuda's youth had changed, she said: "They need some more strict teachers, they were nice, and don't get me wrong they were marvellous teachers, but there was a strictness about it and you learnt a lot that way.

"Today when I see these kids and they are dressed with their pants down to their knees, no wonder they are like they are." She added: "I remember getting my knuckles rapped, [although] I can't remember what it was for, by Mr. Smirton who was the headmaster at Whitney."

She doesn't get out much these days, but in the past won the Bermuda Open and the Bermuda Match Play, was secretary of the Bermuda Golf Association and ran the Good Will for 34 years. "So I had my hands full," she said.

Sister Judith Rollo came to Bermuda from Boston in 1968 and she has seen lots of changes over the years. When she first came to Bermuda, she lived at Experiment Hill, but the new school had just opened.

"When I came there were 26 Sisters and today on a day to day basis, there are no Sisters, but there is an incredible tradition that has been kept alive in terms of the people who went to Mount Saint Agnes."

Sister Judith added: "Girls weren't supposed to be that educated and even at the turn of the 20th Century, they were supposed to do fine artsy kind of things, they weren't supposed to go that deep into learning. And so there's all that change."

The school's enrolment is down, but she explained that it was down deliberately because of research that suggests smaller classes are more effective.

However, Sister Judith disagreed, as she held classes with 64 eight graders when she taught in New York.

"I have recently heard from some of them and they write e-mails that make sense compared to some of the younger people, so it appears that they learned.

"Granted, the world is different now, and I couldn't imagine 64 eighth graders in a room with one person now, because the whole thing about focus, but I believe that the school is still trying to be the caring place that it has been for all those years.

"It's not what you teach, it's who you teach. I think young people years later may not remember what you taught them, but they remember something about how you treated them."

Her thoughts were that Mount Saint Agnes was one of the best schools for an all round education.

"The students don't have to be the star of the show when we take them at five years old, and that they go out and care for them and I think that has continued."