It was a bitter-sweet occasion last week as the Vide Bouteille Primary School bade farewell to a man who had become an institution, marking the end of an era.
Cuthbert Popo had dedicated forty-two years of service to the school’s students as a Physical Education teacher.
He also started the institution’s drumming group.
The group has played at jazz festivals, schools, and other locations throughout Saint Lucia.
Principal Lyrill Arthur-Stanislaus observed that Popo worked tirelessly to bring Vide Bouteille Primary School a rich cultural heritage and counsel and encourage students.
On Friday, the school put on a cultural show in his honour.
“We are so thankful for this gentleman and we sish him all the best,” the principal stated.
Popo acknowledged experiencing mixed emotions at the event in his honour.
“I have had many students passing through my hands,” he recalled, while modestly admitting that although their teacher, he had learned much from them.
“I think I have learnt more than I have taught them,” Popo asserted, adding that teachers do not know everything.
He declared that teachers could learn a lot by listening to students.
Popo also expressed an interest in supporting the nineteen-year-old drumming initiative he co-founded.
He said he would miss the school, the students, and the teachers.
As far as Popo is concerned, he had been attending school for forty-two years.
“Every time I get up, I say I am going to school, I never say I am going to work,” he said.
In this regard, the veteran educator said he regarded his retirement as a graduation.
