St. George's College, Jamaica

St. George's College is a secondary school (high school) in Kingston, Jamaica.

Overview

St. Georges College is a secondary school for boys in Kingston, Jamaica. The school is geared primarily towards boys but the school, now includes girls into its sixth form programme, beginning September, 2005. In addition, a new era of tradition now seeps into the fabric of the school, where St. George's College, boasts its first Headmistress Mrs Margeret Campbell, for 155 years. St. Georges College is considered a top school in Jamaica, due to the great teaching staff, guidance councillors, principals and vice-principals. St. George's has been recognized for its achievements in academics and sporting events such as Boys Champs and the Manning Cup which they beat Jamaica College in 2008 with a 2-0 victory.

Prominent Alumni:

• Ronald Thawites
  
• Stephen Marley - recording artist/Producer
• Ziggy Marley - http://www.ziggymarley.com/
  
• Ricardo Finnis- Filmmaker http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2353664/
• Dennis Ziadie - Sports (Football)
  
• Dr G. Raymond Chang - Chairman CI Financial
  
• Byron Lee - Entertainer
  
• Archbishop Lawrence A. Burke
  
• Dr. Herbert Ho Ping Kong - Chief of Medicine at Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  
• Abraham Elias Issa - Mr Jamaica
  
• Honorable Orette Bruce Golding - Prime Minister of Jamaica
• Neville 'bertis' Bell - Commentator and present coach for the school's manning cup team

St.George's College holds the second most highest wins in the island's school boys' football league, The Manning cup, next to their only competitor, Jamaica College, who has won the competition 21 times beating St.Georges College's 19 time win. St.George's College won the manning cup in 2008 beating Jamaica college 2-0.They haven't won this title since 1992 thus breaking their manning cup drought.

History

It was founded on September 2, 1850 by a group of 21 Spanish Jesuits who had been expelled from Colombia because of their religious faith. The Colombian Government gave them approximately 9 hours to leave the country by any means necessary. After they failed to leave (because there was no form of transportation available) the government extended their time to 48 hours. Within the 48 hour time a lone ship was leaving for Kingston, 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 history. In the early years of the school's life was 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 still exists to this day. On the 2nd of September in 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 2 years, the Spanish jesuits, led by founder Father Gill, 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 unclear reasons, it was closed. A few months later, thanks to Father James Jones,S.J., the school was 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 oppositon of the jesuit superior, the school was closed, a second time, at Christmas of 1871. On this occasion the strong petitions of ninety-two influential kingstonians convinced the jesuits to reopen St.George's college in march 1873, but on a smaller scale, with only two jesuit teachers. The school prospered until September 1877, when it was closed for a third time, but this closure, however, lasted only a few days. The return of Father James Jones,S.J., and the leadership of Father Thomas Porter,S.J, assured the continued life and irrepressible growth of St.George's College, which has endured to this day.In March 1939 St.George's College built the first science laboratory in the island.

• Official site