Self-made uniforms starched like boards, pristine socks and saddle shoes, sewing machines and Shakespeare -- these are just some of the memories that come flooding back when members of the class of 1960 from the now-defunct Prospect Secondary School for Girls get together to reminisce. And this year they are doing a lot of reminiscing as they work their way through a series of special events and fund-raisers to mark the 40th anniversary of their graduation year. For some of the former students, their school days on the hill in Prospect, Devonshire began at the Girls' Institute of Arts and Crafts where, as its name implies, the greatest emphasis was placed on non-academic subjects such as sewing. Through its curriculum, and the high standards it demanded, the young ladies were acquiring first-class skills to equip them for the working world. Then came change. Government decided to incorporate their school into a larger one so that they could experience an expanded academic programme. Thus the Prospect Secondary School for Girls was born under the leadership of Miss (now Dr.) Dorothy Thompson. With a student body of approximately 350 wearing the same pale blue and green uniform of the former Girls' Institute, it offered a well-balanced curriculum which included not only academic subjects, and the opportunity to take the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations, but also domestic science and commercial subjects. As the new school flourished, so too did the former Girls' Institute students. Being part of a larger school brought the added bonus of making friends with peers from all over the Island. The former, well-liked headmistress of the Girls' Institute, Miss Mae Francis, headed the new school's sewing department, and under her expert eye the seniors not only made their own uniforms but also those of the juniors. "They were very professionally done. If you didn't do them right the teacher made you pull out every thread and start again,'' Louise (Wolfe) McKie remembers. Like most students of that era, the Prospect Sec girls were very proud of their uniforms, and went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that they always looked their best. "We washed them ourselves, and the linen skirts were starched stiff,'' June (Wells) Daniels relates. "We wore brown or black and white saddle shoes, and used scrubbing boards to get our white socks clean. "At school, all the girls sat on the edge of their skirts so they didn't mess them up. When you stood up, there would only be two little wrinkles on them.'' "And our uniforms fitted,'' Mrs. McKie adds. "Extra Large was never seen.

Now young people like big, sloppy things.'' The same pride the girls took in their school uniforms also extended to their leisuretime outfits, which they also sewed themselves. "If we were going somewhere special, we would think nothing of sitting up all night making a new outfit,'' Marilyn (Steede) Dyer says. "The Woman's Shop was always full of us girls.'' (The store sold both patterns and a wide range of fabrics and sewing accessories). So good were they at making their own clothes, in fact, that when Graduation Day and the School Prom rolled around, they were more than up to the challenge. "We made our own graduation dresses from white dotted Swiss with taffeta lining, sweetheart necklines and knife-pleat skirts,'' Coralee (James) Trott remembers. "They were beautiful if I say so myself, and we wore them with crinolines and regulation plain white pumps with two-inch heels.'' On Prom night the same dresses were worn again -- this time embellished with coloured cumberbunds and artificial corsages to match their escorts' cumberbunds.

The `huge' differences in education between then and now On the academic side, the expanded curriculum challenged the young minds on many subjects, ranging from biology to history, mathematics, literature and art -- and inevitably produced the host of memories savoured over the years.

Mrs. McKie recalls playing a lion in Daniel in the Lion's Den, and also the productions of Shakespeare's plays, including Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew.

"Miss Carol Hill was our speech and drama teacher, and we had all our plays out of doors in an area now known as the Police Recreation Club field, at the corner of Frog Lane and Gymnasium Road. It was a natural theatre, and we built our sets around the trees,'' she says.

In fact, this setting was also to have been the scene of their graduation -- the first in the new school's history -- but due to inclement weather was moved to City Hall theatre, which the women claim made them the first to use this newly-completed venue.

Boys, biology, sex and dancing lessons are among many topics which draw reminiscent smiles as the former students contrast the huge differences between "then'' and "now''.

"They kept teaching us about reproduction of the flower year after year,'' Mrs. Dyer recalls. "I couldn't figure out why we kept having it. We were very naive.'' And also modest. When a teacher told the students she was pregnant and would be willing to answer any questions they had, the girls were so embarrassed they wrote them down! Regularly reminded that "boys and books don't mix,'' the school ensured the adage was lived by. Although boys were drafted in from the Bermuda Technical Institute as ballroom dancing class partners, the girls' participation was an earned privilege -- and provided no opportunity for misbehaviour.

But perhaps they needn't have worried, for according to Mrs. McKie students like herself who excelled in math commuted to the Technical Institute for classes without trouble.

"I don't know what's in the water today for these children,'' she declares.

"We weren't interested in all that boy/girlfriend stuff.'' Nonetheless, she remembers crying her eyes out when her mother chose her Prom escort for her.

Discipline and decorum were important parts of school life, as was upholding the dignity of the school uniform in public.

"The teachers were very strict. If you misbehaved you were sent to the office, although some of them rapped your knuckles with a ruler and sent you to the back of the class instead,'' Mrs. McKie says. "There weren't many telephones then but by the time you got home your parents already knew you'd been naughty.'' Even so, youthful exuberance was not easy to suppress.

"We had to move from building to building to classes with different teachers, and one time we must have been too boisterous because we had to practice moving quietly for about an hour,'' recalls Mrs. McKie.

On another occasion, a student returned from a trip to the US ready to demonstrate the latest dance craze, the Mashed Potato. With the teacher temporarily absent from the Home Economics room, she stood on a table to better instruct her colleagues in its intricacies. Duly caught, the entire class got detention.

Students had to go straight home after school, and could only enter Hamilton with their parents' written permission. Even then, they had to leave town before 5 p.m.

In addition to prayers and hymns, daily assembly included personal inspection of every student. Nails, socks and shoes were checked for cleanliness, and skirts for proper length. Extra accessories were ordered removed.

Whatever they may have thought of the regime at the time, the former students acknowledge that they are grateful today for the education and guidance they received at the hands of so many dedicated teachers, whom they describe as "very special''.

While some alumni continued their education abroad, others went on to own their own businesses, or fill important positions in Government, banking, commerce, education, the Police service, and law offices, to name but a few.

One, however, has not been so fortunate. Former airport employee Miss Judith Burgess recently suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving her bedridden and in need of a great deal of support. As a result, a portion of the proceeds from every Class of '60 event is being donated towards her medical expenses. The Haven, where Mrs. McKie is matron, is another beneficiary.

The school motto, Education for Service, has never been forgotten.

In addition to the gospel concert and codfish breakfast already held, future Class of '60 fund-raisers include an Oldie Goldie night in April, cooking lunch for Devonshire Rest Home residents in May, and a barbecue in June. July 29 is Banquet Week with the theme: Women progressing over the past 40 years.

Beginning with a church service on July 23, it will include a banquet at which former headmistress Dr. Norma Thompson will be present and also a brunch. For further information on the above and other events please telephone Mrs.

Marilyn (Steede) Dyer at 295-5614 days, 292-1253 evenings.