St. George's College, Jamaica Calligraph

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St. George's College is an all-male, Roman Catholic high school in Kingston, Jamaica; as of 2005, the College opened its Pre-University Programme (Sixth Form) to female students. It was established 1850 by 21 Spanish Jesuits who had been exiled from Colombia as part of a religious persecution. Today, it is one of the oldest and most respected learning institutions in the country, having produced at least six Rhodes Scholars.

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History

Early beginnings

St. George's Colonial College was founded in 1850 by twenty-one Spanish Jesuits who had been exiled from Colombia as part of a religious persecution. The Colombian Government had given them approximately 9 hours to leave the country by any means possible. After they failed to leave, due to unavailability of transportation, the government extended their time to 48 hours; within the 48-hour time, a lone ship was leaving for Jamaica, which they boarded.

At their head was Fr. Emmanuel Gil, S.J., a distinguished scholar and former court preacher to the King of Spain. Amidst a storm of protest against Roman Catholic priests opening Jamaica's first secondary institution for classical and scientific education, St. George's College began its long and proud history. The early years of the school's life were uncertain, as it was closed several times in the first few decades of its existence, but the principal at that time bought the present property where the school stands to this day.

On September 2, 1850, in a rented house at 26 North Street, located on the southeast corner of North and Orange Streets, the new college opened with thirty-eight day students and thirty boarders. The first subjects taught at St. George's included Latin, Greek, French, English, rhetoric, history, mathematics, logic, metaphysics, ethics, drawing, and calligraphy.

After only two years, the Spanish Jesuits, led by founder Fr. Gil, S.J., departed Jamaica to teach in Guatemala, turning St. George's over to the English Jesuits. They left primarily because of the difficulties in language, with English being a second language to them. The school moved to 5 Upper King Street and changed its name to the "St. George's Presbytery Secondary School". There it remained until January 1866 when, for reasons which remain unclear, it was closed. A few months later, thanks to Fr. James Jones, S.J., the school reopened with twenty-five students and moved back to its original site at 26 North Street, again under the name St. George's College.

Only three years later, succumbing to the opposition of the Jesuit Superior, the school was closed a second time, around Christmas of 1871. On this occasion, the strong petitions of ninety-two influential Kingstonians convinced the Jesuits to reopen St. George's College. It reopened in March 1873 but on a smaller scale, with only two Jesuit teachers. The school prospered until September 1877 when it was closed a third time, but only for a few days. The return of Fr. James Jones, S.J., and the leadership of Fr. Thomas Porter, S.J., assured the continued life and irrepressible growth of St. George's College, which has endured to this day.

Expansion and development

In February 1905, the Jesuits bought a large property called Pawsey's Pen (what is now Winchester Park) from Mr. Alfred Pawsey. They converted the Pawsey residence into a classroom building and had classes started before the end of March. (That original building stood until 1979, when it was demolished to make way for the new Abe Issa Auditorium.) Classes were suspended briefly after the earthquake in 1907 while the campus, partially destroyed and subsequently repaired, was used as a hospital for victims of what was Kingston's worst earthquake ever.

The present Jesuit residence (now called the Jesuit Centre) was built in 1910, and the Jesuits finally moved over from the old site at North and Orange Streets. Enrollment in the College at that time was barely one hundred boys, but more classroom space was needed. In 1913, the construction of a new building was authorised by the headmaster whose name it bears, Fr. William O'Hare, S.J. Its architect was Mr. Braman Judah, whose two sons, Sydney and Charles, later became Jesuit priests. The O'Hare Building has since become the landmark of St. George's College.

In March 1939, St. George's College built the first science laboratory on the island. It was blessed and dedicated by His Lordship Bishop Emmet, S.J., in the presence of His Excellency Sir Arthur Richards, KCMG. Chemistry was introduced to the College in January 1945 by Fr. John A. Blatchford, S.J. At the dedication of the chemistry laboratory hopes were expressed that a biology laboratory would soon follow, to alleviate the critical shortage of medical students, trumpeted by the Jamaican media at the time.

Jamaica's first faculty of sciences

In 1945, the first biology classes were started at the College, again initiated by Fr. Blatchford, S.J. In January 1947 the present biology lab was completed and commissioned into operation. Again, these were the first chemistry and biology laboratories on the island: University of the West Indies (U.W.I.) was just being founded.

Continuing the emphasis on sciences, the physics lab was completed in January 1953, thus completing the "Faculty of Sciences" at the College. The building was dedicated by Rt. Rev. John J. McEleney, S.J., on Friday, June 26, 1953.

Becoming a government school

St. George's College decided to become a grant-in-aid school in 1936, and it became a part of the Government's educational system. The Jamaican Government would provided the salaries of the teaching faculty and staff. This new status, however, forced the Jesuits to give up some control of the school to the Ministry of Education. In 1956, the Ministry of Education established a Common Entrance Examination, ending the College's own entrance examination and selection of its students. The Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) was initiated in 1998, further regularising the entrance of students.

Discipline has always been a strong element of St. George's College, and the College's Merit/ Demerit system was inaugurated by Fr. William Hannas, S.J., in 1940, to maintain discipline but also to encourage a spirit of competition. To this end, Hannas emphasised the English-based house system already existing at the College. The student body was divided into three "houses":Bellarmine, Campion, and Xavier, named after Jesuit saints. Two more houses were later added: Loyola in September 1941, and Regis in the late 1950s. These five houses became rivals for leadership in studies, sports, and discipline.

Recent development

The campus has continued to grow. In 1950, as part of the College's Centenary Anniversary, the Old Boys' Association made a commitment to construct a pavilion at Emmet Park. This was completed and handed over to the College on July 1, 1951. In 1955, the lawn tennis courts were built. In March 1956, the roadway to link Emmet Park with the rest of the campus was constructed. In 1986 the Abe Issa Auditorium, the Fr. William Hannas Building (which houses the canteen), and the Fr. Crutchley, S.J., Computer Laboratory were completed. Emmet Park was restored in 1991. The USAID-funded Butler building expansion and the Student Development Centre were completed in 1993, and the Archbishop Samuel E. Carter, S.J., Library was completed in 1997. The Thomas Brodley, S.J., Computer Laboratory was completed in 2002.

Student & staff population

The size of the student population has grown steadily over the years. In 1905 when the College moved to Winchester Park there were approximately 100 students. By 1942 enrollment had slowly risen to 235 students, by 1952 to 452 students, and in 1962 - the year Jamaica gained independence - in excess of 800 students. As of 2005, there were about 1350 students. The size of the faculty has also grown accordingly. In 1905 there were 11 teachers (6 Jesuits and 5 laymen) and by 1942 the number had risen slightly to 13 (12 Jesuits and 1 layman). In 1952 there were 26 (18 Jesuits and 8 laymen). As of 2005, there were more than 70 teachers.

Vision

The school's motto reflects the vision and spirit of the over-160-year-old institution: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam ("For the Greater Glory of God"). Built on such traditions, St. George's College looks forward to a bright future.

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Notable alumni

St. George's College has produced a number of prominent members of Jamaican society, including a number of academics, entertainers, radio and television personalities, prominent businessmen, and high-ranking executives in major Jamaican companies.

Academia'

• Professor Emeritus Anthony Chen (member of Nobel Prize Team, 2007)
• Professor Trevor Munroe (Executive Director, National Integrity Action)
• Professor Robert Lue (Director, Life Sciences Education at Harvard)
• Dr. Paris Lyew-Ayee (Director, Mona GeoInformatics Institute; conceptualiser and primary developer of Caribbean's first global positioning satellite [GPS] system)
• Bishop Percival Gibson (founder and former Headmaster of Kingston College; former member of Jamaica's Legislative Council [now Senate])
• Reverend Glen Archer (educator and internationally acclaimed spelling coach)
• Professor Robert Hill (recipient of Institute of Jamaica's Gold Musgrave Medal for outstanding work in positioning Marcus Garvey in the annals of World history)
• Dr. Herbert Ho Ping Kong (Senior Consulting Physician, University Health Network, Toronto; recipient of Canada's 3M Fellowship Award for teaching)
• Professor Alston "Barry" Chevannes, O.J., O.D. (sociologist)

Arts and culture

• Byron Lee, O.J., C.D.
• Stephen Marley
• George Carter, C.D. (honoured for his contribution to theatre and as a founding member of the credit union movement in Jamaica)
• Ziggy Marley
• Kristoffer Cooper (actor, "Cool Runnings")
• Ricardo Finnis (filmmaker)
• Clyde McKenzie (entertainment consultant and media personality)
• Neville 'Bertis' Bell (morning show host and media personality)
• Teddy Patel (actor - First Jamaican TV series -Life with the Littles)

Business and finance

• Hon. Dr. G. Raymond Chang, O.J., O.C. (former Chancellor Emeritus Ryerson University, Canada)
• Francis "Paco" Kennedy (former President, Jamaica Chamber of Commerce)
• Ferdinand Mahfood, O.J. (founding member, former CEO, Food for the Poor)
• Robin Mahfood (founding member, President, CEO, Food for the Poor)
• Hon. Abe Issa ("The Father of Jamaican Tourism")
• Paul Issa (Deputy Chairman, House of Issa Group of Companies)

Clergy

• Monsignor Gladstone Wilson ("7th Most Learned Man in the World")
• Fr. Richard Ho Lung (founder, Missionaries of the Poor)
• Archbishop Lawrence A. Burke, S.J.
• Fr. Denis Crutchley (first Jamaican Headmaster of St. George's College)

Engineering

• Thomas Lyew
• Richard Thompson
• Glenn Chin (mission specialist at NASA)

Politics and law

• Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding
• Senator Dwight Nelson
• Senator Don Wehby
• Senator Alexander Williams
• Ambassador K.G. Anthony Hill, C.D.
• The Hon. Mr. Justice Ian Forte, O.J., C.D., Q.C. (former Director of Public Prosecutions and President of the Court of Appeal)
• The Hon. B. St. Michael Hylton, O.J., Q.C. (former Solicitor General and Chairman of the General Legal Council)
• Reverend the Hon. Ronald Thwaites (media personality, lawyer, Catholic deacon, Minister of Education)
• Mr. Earl Witter (former Public Defender)
• Mr. Terrence Williams (Commissioner, Independent Commission of Investigations)
• Maurice Tenn (Rhodes Scholar; attorney-at-law; former PNP Senator and Junior Finance Minister)

Science

• Dr. Aggrey Irons (consultant psychiatrist)
• Professor John Peter Figueroa (noted epidemiologist)
• Professor Terrence Forrester (professor of experimental medicine; recipient of Gold Musgrave Medal for contribution to science)

Sports

• John Barnes (commentator and pundit, ESPN and SuperSport)
• Russell Bell (footballer)
• Alfred Binns
• John Groves
• Roy McCatty (cricketer)
• Andre Lewis (footballer; #7 Draft Pick, MLS)
• Tyrone Marshall (coach; former Jamaican footballer)
• Andrew Price (footballer; General Manager, Premier League Clubs' Association)
• Andy Williams (1998 World Cup Reggae Boy)
• Craig Ziadie (footballer)
• Dennis Ziadie (footballer)

Other

• Major Errol C. Alliman (Ret'd) (former Commanding Officer, Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing)
• Vivian Blake

Rhodes scholars

• 1997 Williams, Cory (Green) Educ. St. George's College; University of the West Indies, B.Sc. (Med.) PhD Clinical Medicine (Oxford)
• 1996 Thompson, Richard (Trinity) Educ. St. George's College; University of the West Indies, B.Sc. (Elect. Eng.) First Class; D. Phil (Eng.).)
• 1993 Thwaites, Daniel John (Commonwealth Caribbean and Campion Hall), b 22 Sept 1971, Kingston, Jamaica. Educ St. Georges's Coll, Ont 1987-9; Queen's Univ Kingston (Ont) 1989-91, BA 1991; Univ W Indies 1991-2; Campion Hall 1992-4 (Scholp 1993-4, Jurispr 2:1 cl 1994; Heythrop Coll, London from 1994, reading for MA (Philos). 62 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica.
• 1968 Thwaites, Ronald George (Campion Hall).b. 12 February 1945. Educ. St. George's College; Cornell Univ. B.A. 1967; Univ. of the W. Indies 1967-68. Jurispr. 2nd Cl. Univ. of the W. Indies: Research Fellow in Faculty of Law 1970-.; PartTime Lect., Dept. of Hist. 1973; Lect., Dept of Sociol. 1971-. Kingston Legal Aid Clinic: Dir. And Chmn. Of Board 1973-75. Chmn, of Board, Dir., Social Action Centre 1975-. Practice of Law 1976-. Host JBC's Public Eye Programme Since 1976. Deacon, Roman Catholic Church.
• 1966 Munroe, Trevor St. George (New College).b.10 December 1944. Educ. St. George's College; Univ. of the W. Indies, B.Sc. Econ. 1st Cl. Hons. M.Sc. Govt. 1966. Nuffield Coll. 1967-69 D.Phil. Social Scns. Lect., 1969-77; Sr. Lect. 1977- Dept of Govt., UWI; Res. Fellowships ISER 1977/78; Dept. of Pol. Studies, Queen's University Can. 1988-89; Institute od Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands 1989-90; Co-Editor ABENG Newspaper 1969; Pres. University & Allied Workers Union 1977-; General Secretary, Workers Party of Jamaica 1978-.
• 1956 Tenn, Maurice Samuel George (Oriel).b. 26 January 1934. Educ. St. George's College; Princeton, B.A. 1956. Mod. Hist. 2nd Cl. Read for B. Litt. Senator and Parliamentary Secretary, Min. of Finance 1976, Min./Dir. Consular and Legal Services, J.High Commission London 1977-80.

Source of the article : Wikipedia