Three in a Row for Herbert Morrison Technical High School

For the third year in a row, a student of Herbert Morrison Technical High School, in St. James, has won the Poster Category of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Heritage Competition.

Nathan Morris, a sixth form student, wore a bright smile as he collected his award and prizes on Tuesday (December 10), at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, in Kingston.

Jamaica’s National Motto, ‘Out of Many, One People’, was the theme of this year’s competition.

The 18-year-old told JIS News that his entry was inspired by what makes Jamaica, Jamaica.

He believes that his use of vibrant colours and his deliberate efforts to make the individuals bold, whether through skin tone or clothing, gave his poster the edge over the other 40 entries.

“It was fun. It was a good experience. I’m just happy that my school gets its name on that trophy again,” he said, adding that his colleague, Prudent Salmon, was among the finalists.

Nathan’s poster depicts the ‘Jamaican woman’ along with some of the ethnic groups that contributed to the country’s social and economic development – Africans, Chinese, Indians, Syrians/Lebanese and Europeans.

“All of these individuals are in their traditional dress – the African man in Ghanian dress, the Asian woman is in traditional Chinese dress and the woman to the right, she’s in the traditional religious wear of a female Muslim. Then below, the male is in Hindu Indian dress, in the centre we have the Jamaican woman in my view. So, she has the bantu knots and she’s wearing the bandana, and beside her is the European man,” he explained.

The map of Jamaica is positioned at the centre of the poster and Nathan shared that it was purposely segmented like a puzzle, with flags from various countries.

The poster also showcases Jamaica’s past and present, with a sugar cane plantation and high-rise buildings, respectively.

It took Nathan about two weeks to conceptualise and execute the poster, while juggling schoolwork.

“I tried a sketch at first and I liked it, but in the middle of me producing the final piece from my sketch, I changed my mind,” he said, pointing out that he decided to make the poster bigger and focus on the six people in the piece.

He told JIS News that he did not expect to win and admitted that he did not love the final product initially.

“It was not what I envisioned fully, but I kind of grew to love it after a while. When they came back with it for the interview, I looked at it and was like ‘Oh, this isn’t half bad’, so I really liked it more,” he shared.

Nathan considers himself a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) student and hopes to pursue a career in civil engineering.

“I’ve always been a lover of the arts, but also the built environment. I always feel like I could have a role in making my love for the arts translate into the built environment,” he said.

Nathan is encouraging students across the country to enter the competition next year.

“Go for it! Honestly, go for it. You’ll never know, like I didn’t even expect to really be a finalist. Always give yourself a chance. Don’t count yourself out. If you know you’re talented or if you don’t and someone told you, believe them and go for it, because you never know. You could be a winner of the next one,” he reasoned.