Queen's College, Nassau
Queen's College (QC) is a co-educational institution located in Nassau, Bahamas, operating under the auspices of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church. Founded in 1890, Queen's College[1] is the oldest private school in the Bahamas. Its list of former students includes politicians, clergy, musicians and sports stars.
Queen's College consists of three sections – the early learning centre, the primary school and the high school. The school runs rigorous Advanced Placement courses, A+ certification, Advanced Subsidiary AS courses and SAT II courses. Other advanced educational opportunities and avenues provided include the MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist Certification).
In 1871, Queen's college first opened its doors under the name The Bahamas Wesleyan Propriety Institution under the direction of Reverend George Terry, its first principal.From 1890 to 1925, the school continued under the guidance of Mr. S.B. Wilson, M.A. and his successors. Then, in 1925, the Rev. R.P. Dyer, M.B.E., M.A., took up the appointment as Headmaster, a position he held until 1959. The Rev. Dyer was succeeded by Rev. Geoffrey Litherland (1959 – 1964), Rev. Neville Stewart (1964 – 1971) and Mr. Hayden Middleton (1971 – 1979).
By the late 1960s, the school had grown to over two thousand students. The first Bahamian administrator of Queen’s College, Mrs. Yvonne Noronha, was appointed Vice Principal of the College and Headmistress of the Primary School in 1978. This was followed by the appointment of Rev. Charles Sweeting in 1979, the first old scholar and first Bahamian to be appointed Principal. Reverend Sweeting served as Principal until 1993. Vice Principal, Mr. Philip Cash was appointed Principal in 1993 and served the school until his death in June 1997. In November 1997, Miss Andrea Gibson, the first woman was appointed Principal. Mrs. Virginia Minnis was appointed Head of the Early Learning Centre in September 1999 and is the first Bahamian to serve in this post.
The school's current principal is Miss Andrea U. Gibson, who has held the position since 1997.
The school's sports team, "QC Comets" has won many sports awards in recent years, most notably in basketball, volleyball, swimming, track & field and soccer. For so many years, Queen's College has been placed second in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Track and Field Championship.
Administration
As of 2014:
Principal: Ms. Andrea Gibson [2]
Early Learning Centre Administration: Mrs. Virginia Minnis, Head of Section
Primary School Administration: Sylvia Beneby, Vice Principal, Head of Primary School
- Angela Culmer, Deputy Head
Primary School Curriculum Coordinator: Alexia Tsavoussis
Early Years Curriculum Coordinator: Antja Humes
High School Administration: Shawn Turnquest, Vice Principal – Head of High School
House system
Queen's College has four houses: Dyer, Heath, King and Rogers. This system is used primarily for sporting events and as a merit system up to the high school level, where it is then used to place students into home room classes, which students remain in until graduation. It is also used to decide which students go to BAISS.
| House | House Colour |
|---|---|
| Dyer | |
| Heath | |
| King | |
| Rogers |
Extra-curricular activities
Some of these clubs and societies include:
- The SPARC (Students Pursuing Advanced Rigorous Courses) Programme
- The Student Christian Movement
- The Student Representative Council
- The Anchor Club
- The Key Club
- The Credit Union
- The Interact Club
- The Debating Society
- Encompassing The Model United Nations Debate
- The People to People International Student Chapter
- The Teacher Cadets Club
- The Modern Languages Club
- The Governor General's Youth Awards
- Feeding the 5000
Through Queen's College's extra-curricular involvement students have become involved with organizations such as Resources and Education for Autism and Related Challenges (REACH), the AIDS Foundation of the Bahamas, and the Special Olympics Committee of the Bahamas.
Through this outreach into the community, students have assisted in raising awareness on many issues and raising funds for many people (including Hurricane Victims).
Notable alumni
- Durward Knowles, Olympic sailor
- Sir Leonard Knowles, first Chief Justice of The Bahamas
- Mychal Thompson, NBA basketball player
- Jackie Edwards, long jumper
- Allison Martlew, musician
- Culture, rapper/musician
- Hon. Obie Wilchcombe, Member of Parliament, West End & Bimini
- Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, Member of Parliament, Englerston & Chairwoman, Progressive Liberal Party
- Sen. Hon. Henry Alexander L. Storr, Senator, & Deputy chairman, Progressive Liberal Party