William Knibb High Honours Past Principals and Chairmen

As part of activities to commemorate its 50 years of existence, the William Knibb Memorial High School, Falmouth, Trelawney, Thursday (December 15) paid tribute to its eight past Principals and five Board Chairmen, for outstanding contributions to its development.

In a ceremony on the institution’s compound, plaques were unveiled in honour of all 13 honorees. The five past principals present were showered with accolades and special presentations were made to them.

Addressing participants, Past President of the Jamaica Baptist Union and Pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church in Kingston, Rev Dr. Burchell Taylor, observed that the act of recognizing the past principals and board chairmen was a defining and significant moment.

“I regard this moment as significant, because we are reflecting on an institution that is symbolic and representative of certain fundamental principles that we need to recover and to appropriate afresh; that we need to embody and express in our collective existence as a people and as a nation”, Rev. Dr. Taylor said.

He pointed out that those being honoured demonstrated strength of character, nobility of purpose and love of neighbor, which he said were indispensible qualities for shaping a community of virtue and establishing possibilities for good.

“The persons whom we honour, and others related to them in the Knibb project, are seen as persons who were not seeking to make a name for themselves, but were seeking to make a contribution to meeting the needs of others who were thoroughly deserving of their service, in a time when education was a scarce benefit,” he observed.

Rev. Dr. Taylor said that, having committed themselves to the project and serving the way they did, they set examples of authentic and excellent service.

“We see these persons as those who were not seeking to preserve the entitlements of the privileged, but persons who were seeking to provide opportunities for the fulfillment of God-given potentials of others; potentials that were threatened and which were actually denied by how the society was ordered,” he pointed out.

Rev Dr. Taylor noted that the honorees were “the true embodiment of selflessness” which, he suggested, was the hallmark of real service.

The Past Principals recognized were; Neville Manderson, January to December ,1961; Beatrice Barrett, January 1962 to December 1963, Arthur Edgar, January 1964 to July 1972, Rev Earl Thames- September to December 1972 and January to March 1975, Benjamin Hanson, January 1973 to December 1974,  G.E. Anthony Falloon, April 1975 to December 1981,  Margaret Lee, January 1982 to 2003 and Diana Wynter, September 2003 to August 2010.

Past Board Chairmen honored were; Rev. Stephen James, (Founder) January 1961 to April 1977, Rev C.S. Reid – April 1977 to February 1981 and November 2000 to 2002, A.A. Edwards, June 1981 to January 1990, Wesley Hall, February 1990 to October 2000 and Rev Eron Henry, 2003 to 2005.

A Crest established at the main entrance to the school, and a new school sign established adjacent to the new highway, were unveiled after the main ceremony.

By Glenis Rose, JIS Reporter