Glenmuir creating WAVES at 65
Published:Monday | September 18, 2023 | 12:07 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Waves of maroon flooded 10 Glenmuir Road in May Pen on Friday, as scores of stakeholders gathered to celebrate the Clarendon-based Glenmuir High School’s 65th anniversary, under the theme, ‘Glenmuir at 65: Creating Waves (Waves of Achievements, Valor, Excellence, and Sustainability)’.
The school was founded on September 15, 1958, by the late Bishop Percival Gibson. The 65th anniversary celebrations saw the renaming of the school’s administrative building to the Bishop Percival Gibson Centre of Management and Administration.
In celebrating the school’s 61st anniversary in 2019, its auditorium was renamed the Sydney Scott Auditorium in honour of the founding principal.
On Friday, a glistening maroon-and-gold shield bearing the names of 112 head boys and head girls from 1962 to present was also unveiled in commemorating “Glenmuir at 65”.
Robert Patrick, 1986 headboy, was charged to respond to the honour on behalf of his fellow head prefects. Patrick, vice president, and head of development, engineering and construction at NRG, a company based in the United States, said Glenmuir had positioned him on a trajectory that led to his over 30-year, rewarding engineering career.
“I believe I speak for my fellow head prefects when I say that those of us who had the privilege to serve this institution as student leaders were the beneficiaries of the best preparation for leadership and life imaginable,” asserted Patrick.
Apparently sharing in those sentiments was Winston Maragh, mayor of May Pen, and member of the class of 1973.
The celebrations saw members of the school’s cadet corps marching with burning torches, geared at emphasising the school’s motto; Flagrans Veritatis Studio- burning with the zeal for truth.
Renowned financial guru, chairman of the school’s board, and 1980 headboy, Patrick Hylton, said the institution had exceeded expectations in its almost seven-decade history, and emerged as a school of which alumni are justly proud.
“Over the period of 65 years, we have witnessed an institution that has grown from strength to strength. An institution, in terms of what it has delivered, lived up to, and I’m sure in some respect, exceeded the expectations of its founders,” said Hylton.
UNMATCHED PRINCIPLES
Hylton also credited the school for his lifelong principles and lessons, positing, “The culture of Glenmuir, the ethos, the focus discipline and integrity” were seemingly unmatched.
Prudence Simpson, of the local chapter of the Alumni Association, described the school as a monument of scholastic aptitude of pride, self-confidence and discipline.
“We are an institution that stands proud of who we are. You can find us everywhere in academia, serving at high levels in international organisations, in the diplomatic arena, politics, public service, medicine, agriculture, [et cetera],” said Simpson.
Last year, Glenmuir High was announced as the top value-added traditional/secondary school in the island based on a study conducted by the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission.
Referencing the report, past student and former school board member, Dr Omar Davies, who delivered the keynote address, said, “Getting good grades in CXC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) or CAPE (Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination) is not a surprise, but what is critical, and what the report assessed is the value-added. It’s something we should be proud of.”
Glenmuir at 65 also saw six students being granted scholarships, an initiative spearheaded by the graduating class of 1973.
The class of 1997 also made a monetary donation to the school, and granted another scholarship to another deserving student.
Dr Sasha Shim-Hue, a member of the class of 1997, handed over the Sheldon Battiste Jr Scholarship on behalf of her son, a football player, who graduated in 2022. The scholarship was awarded to a footballer who had also excelled academically.
A seating area was also handed over, another project spearheaded by the class of 1973 in celebrating their 50th graduation reunion.
Friday’s activities ended with the release of 65 maroon, gold, and white balloons.
The Anglican institution commenced Founder’s Week celebrations with its annual church service on September 10, and culminated yesterday with a brunch celebration dubbed ‘Lunch on the Lawn’.