St George’s College celebrates 175 years
by Keisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer · The GleanerAd Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God)!
FOR 175 YEARS, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) has served the people of Jamaica by providing excellent high school education for the island’s boys, at St George’s College.
In 1850, 21 Spanish Jesuits led by Fr Emmanel Gil, SJ, opened the gates of St George’s College, Jamaica’s first secondary institution for classical and scientific education, to 38 students. In March 1939, the college built the first chemistry laboratory on the island, and the construction of the first biology laboratory on the island was completed in 1946. In 1936, the college partnered with the Ministry of Education to become grant-aided.
“Over 175 years of shaping lives through outstanding service to the field of education is tremendously significant and certainly worth celebrating. The large cadre of Jamaican leaders who are graduates of St Geroge’s College is a testimony to the mission of the college to shape men of conscience, competence and compassion, who will assume leadership roles in transforming society,” said Principal Margaret Campbell.
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Since its inception, the campus has continued to grow and today boasts two large sports fields, the Emmet Park Pavilion, the Leo Quinland Administrative Building, five classroom blocks, the Adrian Chaplain Pre-engineering block, the Abe Issa Auditorium, the Samuel E. Carter Library, multiple computer labs and audio-visual rooms, a chapel, visual arts rooms, tennis and basketball courts, and a cadet square.
Campbell said the size of the student population has also continued to grow steadily over the years. “In 1905 when the college moved from North and Orange streets to Winchester Park on North Street, the student population was approximately 100 students. Today there are almost 1,450 students, served by 79 teachers, up from 11 in 1905. Early administrators were foreign jesuits, but in 1945, after 95 years of existence, the college welcomed its first Jamaican headmaster, Fr Dennis Crutchley, SJ, who was an past student of the institution,” she said.
In recent years, George’s has seen continuous progress, with a most notably recognition in 2018, when they were ranked exceptionally high in an inspection done by the National Education Inspectorate. According to Campbell, this ranking has validated the school improvement process and has fuelled ongoing improvement since then.
The college, she said, has been deliberate about increasing access to technology in the teaching and learning process, and has improved in other areas of the school’s academic and sporting sphere.
“We have diligently created AV rooms on each classroom block to supplement those already generally available, and have installed projectors in many of our classrooms. Each grade level from first to third forms undertakes an online course as a part of the curriculum, and Google Classroom is rigorously maintained to support learning. Students sit CSEC EDPM at the third form level,” Campbell said.
St George’s College also has a professional development programme for teachers that is second to none. “Research-based best practice is the goal of the programme and it has been yielding fruit. Years of such a focus has shaped an environment of collegiality, where teachers share knowledge, resources and best practices to improve teaching and learning,” Campbell said.
The year at St George’s College opened officially on Sunday, September 1 with a Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Mass was celebrated by the Most Reverend Archbishop Kenneth Richards, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston, along with other priests and deacons, and was attended by Minister of Education Fayval Williams, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Dr Kasan Troupe, the graduating class of 2029 and their parents, staff and alumni.
The start of the year was also marked by the induction of four outstanding Georgians into the St George’s College Hall of Fame: Christopher Chaplain, Christopher Berry, Professor Trevor Munroe, B. St Michael Hylton.
As a part of the 175th anniversary celebrations, there are several events planned for the year. Coming up in December is the launch of the St George’s College Reggae Orchestra, while the high point of the year is the celebration of St George’s Week in April 2025.
Campbell said the college will continue to see improvement in all areas related to school life; spiritual and social awareness, academic performance and sports and co-curricular activities.
“Through targeted attention to leadership development, we will equip our students as transformational leaders who will contribute towards nation building. We continue to monitor our curriculum and will try to adjust to ensure that our students’ learning is relevant to our changing times,” Campbell said.
“Our technological goal is to have smart technology in every teaching space. We also aim to reset students’ attitudes towards mathematics, and thus move the percentage passing from merely good, to outstanding, mimicking the near 100 per cent passes in English language,” she added.
The college has also identified several school improvement projects for which they invite support including updating of the physics lab to create a robotics lab, renovations of the chemistry lecture theatre, expansion of their solar project, and equipment and technology for the pre-engineering lab, to name a few.