Jonathan Grant High School Retirees Honoured For 130 Years Of Service

Four retired educators at the St. Catherine-based Jonathan Grant High School, who have contributed a combined 130 years of service, have been honoured by the institution.

The retirees, who have each served 30 years or more, are former Vice Principal, James Davis, 34 years; Textbook Administrator, Ivorene Neil, 33 years; Internal Examination Coordinator, Olive Simms, 33 years; and Textbook Administrator, Cheryl Brown-Harper, 30 years.

Acting Principal, Cheryll Shippey, expressed gratitude to the honourees for their service, noting that “your tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed”.

“Your passion, your commitment and love for education have inspired countless students, and your legacy will live on in the hearts of all who have the privilege of knowing you. Thirty years at Jonathan Grant High School is a lifetime for some persons, and for having these persons serving 30 years and more at one place, it is really a commitment,” she stated.

She was addressing the school’s 45th anniversary event held on Wednesday (Dec. 17) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

School Board Chairman, Denworth Finnikin, also expressed gratitude to the retirees for their service.

He noted that through their contribution over the decades, the educators have enabled hundreds of graduates to “take their rightful place in society.”

Mr. Finnikin said that institutions are not defined by buildings, but by the people “and it is your professionalism, your integrity and commitment that have made this school, Jonathan Grant High School, a respected and trusted school in our country.”

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) treasurer and past student, Roshell Peart, said it is fitting that, as the institution celebrates 45 years of existence, it is also honouring the legacy “of four extraordinary persons who have dedicated more than 30 years [each] in shaping young minds at Jonathan Grant.”

Past student, Tisha Miller, who left the school with 14 subjects, and is now a third-year student at Mico University College, said she had good experiences with all the educators during her time at the institution.

“However, Mrs. Brown-Harper really stood out to me, because she really assisted my family with a lot of issues that we had throughout the time at Jonathan Grant High School,” she said.

Lauding the honourees for “dedicating not just years but decades to shaping lives, minds and futures,” educator and author, Daphne Ellis, who delivered the keynote address, told the honourees that their legacy is in the lives that they have touched.

“The colleagues you mentored, the programmes you initiated, the committees you served on, the projects you spearheaded, the students you refused to give up on, that is your legacy. Your decision to remain in Jamaica, invest in your knowledge and skills, and your passion in our young people, that too is your legacy,” she added.

Ms. Ellis lauded the institution for attaining 100 per cent passes in six subjects in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

Responding on behalf of the honourees, Mrs. Brown-Harper said that over the years spent at Jonathan Grant High School they became more than just colleagues.

“We are friends, mentors, and we are family. To those we leave to carry the torch, our parting advice is, never stop learning. Support each other and always carry forward the legacy of hard work and dedication,” she said.