Message From The CEO

Dear Alumni members, Supporters and Friends of Cambridge Academy Alumni Association International (CAAAI):

Greetings to each of you! As 2023 draws to a close and we enter the dawning of a New Year (2024), I am filled with gratitude. My reflections on this past year saw so many of us having experienced difficult challenges and witnessing the fragility of life. The transition of family members, alumni and friends, health issues and conflicts at home and around the world have shaken us to the core. However, in spite of it all, we are alive, alert, enthusiastic and thankful for the numerous blessings we receive, daily!

Mr. Robert A. Pinkerton was the Guyanese version of a Mensch, a man of integrity and honor, a man of fortitude and firmness of purpose. He wore a stern face that hid an easy humor, because that face was the image of the burden of his inner passion and vision to ensure that every child of God, that is every person, deserved a chance to succeed. It was a passion based on two other firmly held beliefs that asserted: without God, nothing is possible, and without hard work and discipline, nothing is achievable. At the tender age of 30, this incredible, quiet force of nature, made the bold, entrepreneurial step of establishing and leading a secondary school - Cambridge Academy - with his own funds and faith.

Dear Fellow Alumni, Supporters and Friends of Cambridge Academy Alumni Association International (CAAAI):

It is with profound gratitude and excitement that I have this opportunity to serve, once again, as the CEO of this august Association. In these uncertain times, it is reassuring to know that the Executive Board of Directors is dedicated to growing stronger, being vibrant and staying connected to you, our lifeblood.

Being a member of the CAAAI family comes with an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude for the values and educational foundation we gained from our illustrious principal, Mr. Robert A. Pinkerton. We endeavor to perpetuate his legacy by being serving leaders and supporting the Nehemiah Comprehensive School, in Georgetown. The institution is led by our former teacher and 2012 Honoree, Mrs. Yvonne Zebeeda Osman.

The Cambridge Academy Alumni Association International (CAAAI) welcomes you to its official website. We are an international forum which was organized in 2006 and has been a meaningful and viable group of former high school students. The leadership and members of the Association have committed themselves to reuniting with each other every two years and extend charitable assistance in the form of school supplies to schools in the South American country of Guyana.

In 1950, Mr. Robert A. Pinkerton, made the courageous and visionary step of founding Cambridge Academy. Formal classes were housed at locations on South Road and Charlotte Street in Georgetown, Guyana South America. “Pinky”, as he was fondly called, immediately sought to imprint his key philosophies on his students and faculty. These included: 1) Without God, nothing is possible. 2) Without hard work and discipline, intellect achieves nothing. 3) Every child of God, that is, every person, deserves a chance to succeed. These principles were evident in the required daily scriptures, student-body recitations and setting of high standards for students. He has always been a principled leader, and the epitome of courage, conviction and caring. Mr. Pinkerton often provided partial or full scholarships to students whose parents could not afford the tuition.

The mission of CAAAI is the continual legacy to provide technical, financial and educational support to schools and educational facilities in Guyana, and the U.S.A., and to expand these charities to various regions of the world.

Projects

CAAAI has adopted two high schools in Georgetown Guyana: Nehemiah Comprehensive School and North Georgetown Secondary School. Over the years, our commitment to the schools has been consistently demonstrated in the form of annual donations of school supplies for students and faculty, sports equipment and technical support.

Reunions & Fundraisers

To date we have held three Reunions: In 2008 – Brooklyn, NY; 2010 – Brooklyn, NY and 2012 – Upper Marlboro, MD. Adjectives used by attendees to describe these biennial events were:  MEMORABLE, EXCITING, TERRIFIC, CLASSY, and DELIGHTFUL.  We are looking forward to our next Reunion which will be held in Brooklyn, New York on July 19, 2014.  In order to assist in fulfilling our mission, an annual fundraiser is held.

Meet our board of directors In 2012 an initiative spearheaded by Vice-President, Courtney Fanfair led to the formation of a CAAAI branch, in Georgetown Guyana. Mr. Hugh Denbow and Mr. David Gomes head this Committee.

View photos of events throughout the years, and meet our honorees.