Glenmuir High School

Glenmuir High School

Flagrans Veritatis Studio
Burning with the Zeal for Truth
Location

May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica

Coordinates 17°58′01″N 77°15′11″W / 17.967°N 77.253°WCoordinates: 17°58′01″N 77°15′11″W / 17.967°N 77.253°W
Information
Religious affiliation(s) Christian
Denomination Anglican
Founded 15 September 1958
Founder Rt. Reverend Percival Gibson, then Bishop of Jamaica
Gender Coeducational
Number of students 1,700
Campus Rural
Houses 4
Colour(s) Maroon and White
Song Semper Flagrans (Flagrans Forever!)

Glenmuir High School, often referred to as Glenmuir, is a Jamaican secondary school located in May Pen, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. It is among the top performing secondary schools in the country. In 2011 it was among the top 3 preferred schools for students who sat the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). In 2012 it placed 3rd in the country in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, and in 2013 placed 4th for academic performance in the Secondary Schools Guide. Glenmuir educates over 1,700 pupils, aged between 12 and 18 years and was founded in 1958 by the Rt. Reverend Percival William Gibson, the Bishop of Jamaica, as a private co-educational secondary school of the Anglican Diocese, on a 25-acre site in an upper income residential road in May Pen. The school motto is "Flagrans Veritatis Studio" ("Burning with the Zeal for Truth").

History

Glenmuir opened its doors on September 15, 1958 with 55 students but it was not until September 30 that Sir Kenneth Blackburne, Governor of Jamaica, performed the official opening ceremony. The main administrative building (which included the library, classrooms, the Headmaster's office and a flat on the first floor for his family) was originally the home of the Custos of Clarendon, George W. Muirhead, C.M.G. Construction of the first modern block of classrooms began in 1959 and by the beginning of the Easter term 1962 there was a total of 236 pupils in attendance.

Glenmuir was modelled on the British public school and in the early years half the teachers were English expatriates. The original curriculum included classical studies, incorporating Latin and Ancient History. The House System was established in 1959 along with the Prefect Body and soon after that the publication of the first school magazine. A year later saw the formation of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) affiliated to the 1st Battalion of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF). From the very beginning popular school activities included Debating, Music, Drama, Cricket, Football, Table Tennis, Athletics, Netball and Tennis. The school was recognized as a Government grant-aided secondary institution by the Ministry of Education after just one year.

Headteachers

Glenmuir's first Headmaster was Dr Sydney Howard Scott, a graduate of the University of Oxford, and secretary of the Oxford University West Indian Society (1951-1952). Scott retired in 1983.

The second headmaster was Clement "Peng" Radcliffe, a graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) who was taught at Glenmuir and served as Head of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA). He served as headmaster for 28 years until 2009 when he accepted the post of Deputy Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education.

Mrs. Monacia Williams became the principal after Mr. Radcliffe and before Dr. Smalling.

Since 2014, Dr. Marsha Smalling was appointed principal of this institution.

Houses

The school community is divided into houses. Three houses were established in the second year of the school: Pawsey, Muirhead and DeRoux. In 1976 a fourth house, Gibson, was added.

Sport

Glenmuir has a sporting tradition dominated by athletics and football. Apart from inter-house competitions, which culminate each year on Sports Day, Glenmuir competes in the annual schoolboy football competitions. The school were DaCosta Cup champions in 2004, 2006, and 2012, the Ben Francis Cup champions in 1993, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2009, and the Oliver Shield champions in 2004.

School Challenge Quiz

Glenmuir's Quiz team has been consistently successful in the TVJ's (Television Jamaica) Schools' Challenge Quiz competitions with victories in 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002 and runners up in 2000, 2005 and 2008.

Choir

The Glenmuir Concert Choir won the Marcus Garvey Award (in 2008 and 2009) and performed at the International Festival in Germany, Choir Olympics in Austria and the Shrewsbury International Festival in England. In 2004 the choir participated in the inaugural cultural exchange between Jamaica and the Bahamas. They performed at King's House, the Governor-General's official residence, during Jamaica's National Honours and Awards ceremony on National Heroes Day (2005), at Culturama in Florida (2012) and on national television. "Spirit on Fire" (2010) was their first recorded commercial CD.

References

    External links