Grange Hill Primary School Celebrates 100 Years

When Grange Hill Primary School in Westmoreland first opened its doors to the young minds of the future, it was unforeseen that they would have existed to commemorate their centennial.

The parish’s Anglican Church hall served as the site of the then Grange Hill Government School’s inaugural day in January 1924, after which late former Governor-General, Sir Clifford Campbell, served as the principal from 1928 to 1944.

In honour of their 100th anniversary, the school has hosted a series of events to ensure that the accomplishments over the preceding decades were not only acknowledged and experienced by past students and members of the institution but the community at large and, most importantly, the current students.

The myriad activities commenced with a tree-planting exercise at the school on Labour Day 2023 and was followed by a grand march from the Garden Hall where the school had originally opened, to its current location.

Deputy Head Girl, Nevaeh Jenkins, dubs the grand march as her favourite event of the celebration, thus far, as it allowed the neighbouring communities to celebrate with the school.

“It allowed our community to be a part of our school and our students to feel more involved [in the celebration],” she says.

The march culminated with a grand fair at the school where community members were able to get information from the National Housing Trust (NHT), Forestry Department, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and National Land Agency (NLA).

Principal, Clayton E. Smith, tells JIS News that he is proud to be at the helm as the institution marks its 100th anniversary.

“It is a tremendous feeling. In fact, it’s something that we have been looking forward to for a number of years, and I am happy that I am in the position as Principal to be leading this class at this time,” he shares.

Vice Principal, Marcia Stephens, expresses similar sentiments, pointing out that the anniversary has surpassed a lifetime.

“It is a mix of emotions. We are excited. But there is some humility knowing that its history in the making… 100 years is more than a lifetime. So being a part of this is a great feeling,” she tells JIS News.

A critical step towards another centenary has been taken by the school with the recent addition of an entire block to the campus.

This was funded by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF-9).

Mr. Smith points out that past students who have emerged in the society as stalwarts throughout the years rank among the school’s proudest assets.

“I can tell you that, over the many years, the school has produced a lot of great people. Justice Patrick Robinson, who sits on the International Court of Justice, is a past student from right here [as also] Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte; [and former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President,] Dr. Winston Dawes. We also have Tia and Tina Clayton, the twins in athletics, and astute businessmen like Moses Chybar and Dennis Hawthrone. the CEO of Dennis Shipping,” he highlights.

Director/Owner of the Icon Group of Companies and President of the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI), Moses Chybar, credits his successes to the foundation that was laid while he was a student at Grange Hill Primary.

“I feel strongly that my experience [at the institution] has really made a big impact on me, and the foundation certainly started there; and without that, I think that… who I am today and the success that I’ve had would not have been the same. I am eternally grateful [as well as] humbled by the experience and I feel very good to be a part of an institution that is now celebrating 100 years,” he states.

Though the celebrations will culminate soon, the institution’s evolution will persist through the addition of an infant department and the construction of a safe passage for children coming into the school, which will allow the youngsters to walk along corridors without stepping out into the road.