By Gareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer,Sir Harold Mitchell

Copyright jamaica-gleaner

Prospect, St Mary:

Established in 1956, Prospect College in St Mary, which was designed to instil moral values and discipline among boys, is reaping academic success, especially during the recently concluded Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exams.

It was a proud principal, Gregory Wint, who boasted that the school has benefited from the impressive showing by students in CSEC, with 100 per cent passing of English language, principles of business, integrated science, office administration, English literature, and human and social biology, respectively.

“Our students have done exceptionally well, and we have excellent teachers who spend time ensuring that the boys are given the opportunity to learn and to aim high,“ commented Wint.

“Currently, we have 34 boys on register. It’s a residential institution and they live on property. They are here at no expense to their parents. So the foundation, which is now run by Andrew and Alexander Green, pays for all their CSEC subjects and accommodation. So over these 70 years (almost), students have been here at no expense,” Wint added.

The school was established by Sir Harold Mitchell, who reportedly fell in love with the island and decided to give back to Jamaica through education. Since then, Mitchell and the Mitchell/Green Foundation have been providing a fully funded educational scholarship to young men across the 14 parishes.

Among the students who have done exceptionally well in the CSEC are 15-year-old Micah Rowe with seven subjects, including five distinctions in principles of business, mathematics, principles of accounts, English language, and information technology; Francois Dixon, a fourth-form student with seven subject, including four distinctions with mathematics and English language among them, and Evantino Phillips with seven subjects, including six credits.

“What we try to do at Prospect College is to create a culture of excellence in the environment. And so, at Prospect, our thing is, it is not cool to fail. We create a culture where it’s cool to do well. And so it creates a very healthy competitive environment for our students, where everybody wants to do well. We have a very strong religious arrangement here at the college, and we have a very beautiful chapel. The boys are very receptive towards religion and that is why we have Pastor Warren Bryan coming in to pray for the students, ahead of the CSEC exams, and it was a success,” Wint said.

“The boys are provided with three meals per day and they are given an allowance every Monday morning – some cash in their pockets. They are provided with pens, pencils, calculators, and textbooks through the Mitchell/Green Foundation, which is now headed by Andrew and Alexander Green. We also operate a farm to assist with the sustenance for the college, and this allows the students to maintain discipline. We produce our own eggs. What the benefactors are doing for these students is amazing.”

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com