senior secondary school in 1999.

Chairman of the school's Board of Governors Calvin White told The Royal Gazette the board was happy with Mrs. Gabisi's leadership.

Mrs. Gabisi -- who taught at Berkeley before moving to head up Bermuda High School for Girls' secondary department -- returned to Berkeley in January, 1993 as its first female principal.

And she will have the opportunity to witness two other major milestones in the school's history, its centennial celebrations as a high school next year and its beginnings as a senior secondary school in September, 1999.

Berkeley will take in its last year-one students this September.

As a result of the school's enrolment decline, the number of staff will have to be scaled down over the next few years.

Mr. White said Berkeley's board was concentrating on how it was "going to accomplish the downsizing'' of staff.

But Mrs. Gabisi has stressed that this would not be permanent as enrolment was expected to climb to about 750 with the introduction of Berkeley as one of two senior secondary schools.

And she has promised that while the school was preparing for its new role, it would continue to fulfil its "obligations to the students in the old programme for the next five years''.

The graduating class of 2001 will be the last set of Berkeley students to complete the present secondary school curriculum.