Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College to Mark 50th Anniversary with Year-Long Celebrations

Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James will host a year-long slate of activities to mark its 50th anniversary.

The events, which, along with an anniversary logo, were unveiled during a recent media launch at the institution, will be held under the theme ‘Celebrating Excellence, Advancing the Legacy’.

These engagements will commence on the anniversary date, September 29, 2024 and culminate on September 29, 2025.

The activities kick off with a commemorative service at the St. James Parish Church in Montego Bay on September 29.

This will be followed by a week of activities, including a health fair and alumni events.

The institution will also host a logo design contest for staff and students during Heritage Week, to be observed from October 14 to 21, while a public concert is slated for December.

In January, the College will host the annual Dr. Simon Clarke Lecture, to be followed by an awards ceremony in February.

The Golden Jubilee celebrations will focus on community service during April, and will conclude in September with a stakeholder appreciation brunch, an anniversary gala and the western chapter launch of the college’s alumni association.

Principal, Ricardo Bennett, is delighted with the slate of events to be rolled out.

“As we stand on the cusp of our Golden Jubilee, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of pride, mixed with humility,” he said.

“Almost 50 years ago, on a hill in Granville, St. James, a vision took root. A vision of empowerment through education, of community transformation and of national progress. Today, we gather to celebrate, not just an institution, but a legacy of excellence… one that has shaped the very fabric of our nation’s educational landscape,” Mr. Bennett stated.

He encouraged the institution’s students and staff to use the occasion of the celebrations as a “rallying cry… [and] a call to redouble our efforts in advancing educational excellence”.

“The challenges of the 21st century demand educators who are not just knowledgeable but adaptable, creative and deeply committed to the holistic development of their students,” Mr. Bennett added.

On September 29, 1975, the then Granville Teachers’ College in St. James, opened its doors to 150 students.

Thirty-nine of these were men, which was a pioneering move at a time when teaching was considered a female profession.

Within a month of its inception, the institution was renamed Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, in honour of National Hero, the Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe.