Memories of a girls' school where time has stood still - or has it?

St Dorothy's Convent, Mdina, a beautiful, romantic old building, now stands closed and rather lonely-looking, a relic of the past, but one where the schoolgirls who walked the corridors half a century ago still hold fond memories of the "way it was".

What was it like to be a schoolgirl in the Fifties and Sixties, a Dorothean of that era, and how has the educational system evolved for this "Church school" of the 21st century?

There is, in fact, one rather special person who is infinitely qualified to answer all these questions and paint a picture of life for this girls' school as it was through the Fifties and Sixties and into the modern fields of education in this Year of Our Lord 2002.

Quite simply, the headmistress of St Dorothy's Senior School (now situated in large, modern buildings on the outskirts of Zebbug) is the very lady! Sister Doreen Cuschieri started her schooldays in St Dorothy's, Mdina, in 1952, took her perpetual vows as a nun and progressed through teaching at the same school, became headmistress of the Junior School and her career culminated with her appointment as headmistress of the Senior School in 1986.

Sr Doreen is a cheerful, bubbling, enthusiastic person whose tact, wisdom and experience unite to provide the schoolgirls of St Dorothy's in Zebbug with the ideal headteacher. Her pragmatic approach to her role is reflected in the frank and easy relationship which she enjoys with staff and students alike.

It must surely be somewhat unusual for a headmistress to be so closely connected to her school having completed her education at the very school where she subsequently joined the religious life, taught and became headteacher of the two Junior Schools before taking on the role she currently enjoys as senior school headmistress.

After sitting for her GCEs, Sr Doreen followed her vocation for the religious life and continued her education in parallel, sitting for her A-levels and travelling to Rome where she underwent her novitiate. Meanwhile, she studied Theology and Psychology; both subjects stood her in good stead in her teaching career as well as providing an excellent basis for her current deep insight into child psychology.

In total, it takes seven years for a postulant to qualify to take perpetual vows and emerge as a Sister. Thus, Sr Doreen returned to St Dorothy's, Mdina, and followed her teacher training by attending Mater Admirabilis College. She later graduated B.Ed. (Hons) and then MA.

At this point, the headmistress of St Dorothy's School, Sister Dukes, fell ill and Sr Doreen was appointed headmistress of the Junior School in 1979. The school itself was expanding and evolving and, as the Junior School became a separate entity, it was transferred to new premises in Tal-Virtù, in addition to the already existing Junior School in Sliema.

There followed in the history of St Dorothy's the difficult period in the 1980s when the government of the day took the view that education should be free for all. This led to the temporary closure of a number of Church schools, including St Dorothy's. The staff were forced by circumstances to teach pupils in groups of ten in their own homes. At this point, the life of the school was at its lowest ebb.

It is to the credit of the Sisters and staff of St Dorothy's that these trials and tribulations were overcome and, slowly, the school began to re-establish itself and regain its staff and pupils who had been diverted elsewhere on the closure of the school.

Sr Doreen and her staff weathered the storm but the old system of financing the school through school fees had to change. Following the Church-State agreement, the Church and state subsidised the regular teachers' salaries. The Church handed over most of its property to the State, and used the proceeds to finance its schools. The religious staff lightened this burden by agreeing to a reduction in their salaries by one-quarter which is donated towards school funds.

Another major difference in the Church school system of the 21st century, as opposed to that of several decades past, lies in the unusual system of enrolling new pupils in the first class for those aged four or five. There is a system of balloting which takes place every January. Prospective candidates for entry to Church schools have to collect forms from the Curia and these are completed by the parents and returned by a closing date. The balloting is public and members of the audience participate in selecting the successful candidates by extracting individual ballot papers out of a huge urn on public display. So it is a real case of the luck of the draw.

So, what was St Dorothy's like in the Fifties and Sixties? It might surprise today's pupils to know that, in those days, originally, the winter uniform consisted of a black dress with a detachable white stiff collar that buttoned on (most uncomfortable!). Hats were obtainable from a shop owned by Bela Lowinger: velour, brimmed hats in winter, panama in summer.

The summer uniform was blue checked with modest elbow-length sleeves, this giving way to equally modest white blouses and strange wide-strapped summer tunics in powder blue. Compare this uncomfortable, hot and rather bizarre uniform with today's easycare T-shirts and culottes!

In those days, the girls learned needlework and the annual displays of all the completed tray cloths and tablecloths, etc. were quite a sight to behold. Essentially, however, the basics remain pretty much the same with regard to the core subjects such as Maths, English Language and Literature and languages as well as Religious Knowledge.

To those schoolgirls of that era, the old school in Mdina with the bridge between the convent and the school, the spectacular views, the school hall, the "music cells", the recreation courtyards and garden and the procession in May to the Madonna where scrolls were burnt in offering are all part of a kaleidoscope of memories familiar to Dorotheans of the past.

Memories of the school chapel, the boarders and the day girls, lunches in the refectory, the enormous school kitchens and the rattling of rosary beans as nuns made their way along the corridors - all these are also fond memories.

So, that was the way it was... and now, St Dorothy's continues steadfastly and diligently into the modern educational system, but with a wealth of history which remains dear to the Old Girls of St Dorothy's.