A Government Minister has challenged members of the Sandys community to go the extra mile when it comes to education if today's youth are to succeed in society.

Senator David Burch gave the uplifting speech at the Sandys Middle School Founder's Day ceremony on Friday. He is a former alumnus of the school, which opened 80 years ago.

Now, despite its early struggles in providing a secondary education for blacks in the West End in an era when only primary school was free, the institution serves as an exemplar of hard work and sacrifice.

He told those in attendance: "Just imagine what life was like 80 years ago. Everything in this country was black and white.

"The blacks had their own churches and the whites had their churches, the blacks had their schools and the whites had their schools — everything was black and white."

Sen. Burch, also Minister of Public Safety and Housing, was the keynote speaker at the school anniversary celebrations.

"In the early 1920s there was a conversation going on in the Sandys community about starting a high school for black children," he reflected.

"During this 'black and white' period, if black people wanted their children educated beyond primary school they had to find a way to provide and pay for it themselves.

"The conversation went on and some more folks including Mr. Leonard Simmons, Mrs. Fanny Ratteray, Mr. Harry Smith, Nurse Alice Scott, Mr. John Scott (Nurse Alice's father), Mr. Samuel Swan, Mrs. Susan Philpott and Mr. Thomas Durrant, entered into the discussion with Mrs. Frances Simmons, Florence Smith and William Robinson."

In those early years debts were high and money was low with the Sandys Educational Association members paying monthly membership fees to support the school and some mortgaging their houses.

Members also encouraged area residents to join the Association and support the school's fundraising activities, which took the form of bake sales, bazaars and concerts.

"What sacrifice are you prepared to make to assist in keeping Sandys' doors open?" Sen. Burch challenged.

"Don't think that the money Government sends west to Sandys can fix everything, we need to get up off it and help ourselves. Students; are you working at your optimum? Did you turn in your homework? Did you do the minimum recommended hours of study last night? And do you come to school with an 'I want to learn attitude?'"

"And members of the community, you don't escape, you know the adage 'It takes a village to raise a child'."