Leena Lobo - The first batch student of the high school who became a teacher in the primary school

Report and Pictures by Eugene Moodubelle

Moodubelle, 30 November 2009: “If there was no high school in Moodubelle, my education would have stopped after the 8th standard. My parents would not have allowed me to go to Shirva or other places for my high school studies. Thanks to Fr. Abundius D’Souza and the people of Moodubelle who were chiefly responsible for starting St. Lawrence High School in the village so that i could continue my education, complete SSLC and go for teacher’s training course which enabled me to become a teacher in the Church Aided Higher Primary School in Moodubelle itself where i served for nearly thirty years.” Thus spoke Leena Lobo (D’Almeida) when i met her for an interview for the series on the past students of St. Lawrence High School that is celebrating the Golden Jubilee this year.

Leena Lobo was born on 8th May 1943 as the fourth of five children, three sons and two daughters of late Albert Lobo and Celestine Lobo. After completing her primary and higher primary education in the Church Aided Higher Primary Scchool, Leena Lobo was lucky to be the student in the first batch of the newly founded St. Lawrence High School in 1959. She was one of the seven girl students and has some vague memories of the days that she had spent in the high school. Leena remembers the fact that the students had to forgo their PT classes and other free time in doing some kind of physical work such as carrying mud and dumping it elsewhere for widening of the playground.

Leena Lobo vividly remembers the function that was organized during the inauguration of the new High School building. Along with other five girls, Leena presented the welcome dance and the fishermen’s (bestara) folk dance.

After passing the SSLC examination in 1962, Leena went to the Captanio Teachers Training Institute at Mangalore to be trained as a teacher. After completing the teachers’ training course in two years, Leena joined the Church Higher Primary School at Narampady in Kasargod as a teacher where she served for one year.

As luck would have it, Leena got a break in the Church Aided Higher Primary School in Moodubelle where she became the first student of St. Lawrence High School to serve as a teacher in the Higher Primary School where she rendered service with devotion for nearly 30 years. For most of the years, Leena teacher taught the first standard students with motherly love and care. As she was fond of singing and dance, Leena trained the children in these arts.

In 1966, Leena Lobo married Isac D’Almeida. They have five daughters. The first and second daughters are in Bahrain; the third daughter, a nurse is in Dubai; the fourth one who is an engineer is in the United States of America and the fifth daughter who has the MCA degree is in Mumbai. Except the eldest daughter, the remaining four are happily married and are settled down in their respective working places with their families.

Leena Teacher has been quite proud of her students among whom some have become priests, some doctors and many others have been following different careers and are successful in their lives. She is extremely happy of the fact that not only she but all her five daughters had been the past students of St. Lawrence High School that is celebrating the Golden Jubilee this year. All the daughters of Leena Teacher had been good in singing and dancing and all of them had taken part in various sporting and cultural activities in the high school. They were also the members of the Church Choir.

On the occasion the Golden Jubilee celebration of St. Lawrence High School, Leena Teacher feels proud of being the student of the first batch of the high school fifty years ago. She feels that the high school has made tremendous progress under the care and guidance of the successive Correspondents, Head Masters and Principals.