TROY HIGH ... the gem of Trelawny
OPENING ITS doors in the southern Trelawny community of Troy to 260 students in 2007, Troy High School is a young institution making mature moves, existing as a complete oasis for student engagement and involvement.
Although the journey to the 10year-old institution was a lengthy one, it soon became clear that the mountains of the Cockpit Country were hiding a gem within. Immediately revealed upon entering the well-maintained grounds was the school’s ‘Walk of
Fame’, is a pictorial display of its honour students.
Despite a capacity of 900 students, the staff-student relationship is impressive. Our tour guide for the day, vice-principal Alliah Chambers-Green, explained, “It’s a more intimate setting; because we’re smaller in comparison to larger schools, it allows us to be more knowledgeable of the individual student’s strengths, weaknesses and needs. We seek to find where their strengths lie, whether they’re stronger in academics or in skilled areas, or if they’re artistic, and wherever the strength is, we provide the opportunity for them to maximise on that potential.”
Touring the campus, we visited the Art Department, where award-winning twin brothers Rickey and Richie were toiling away on their new clothing line. In the library, some students read books, while others were tucked away in the airconditioned comfort of the computer room, browsing the Internet during their break.
Notable, too, was the Guidance Department, where the Wellness Center stocked almost every essential item that a teenager could need, ranging from soaps to deodorants and tissue. Guidance counsellor Melody Smith explained, “We recognised that there was a need for us to provide various self-care items for our students who were needing such care and protection. Therefore, we sought donations from different agencies and based on our needs assessment, we would have identified the student who would be experiencing such challenges and have it here for them.”
For many, 10 years is not very long, but for Troy High, it is the length of time it has taken to produce bright, productive graduates. Principal Eddie Whyte told Youthlink, “It has been a great ride. We have children sitting 10 and 11 subjects and doing extremely well. If I should give you just a quick success story of a boy, Brian White, who graduated in June. He came to Troy High reading at the grade-two level, and in five years, he sat seven CSEC subjects and failed only one. He was also the only boy to get a distinction in mathematics.”
The proud principal admitted, however, that like other institutions, Troy High has its challenges. “One of the greatest challenges we have been facing over the years is that of transportation. We have children coming from Christiana and Balacava, and these communities are geographically far from Troy. We want to purchase a school bus; we believe that if we were to get that school bus, it could help us greatly in alleviating these issues. So, if there are any corporate bodies out there that want to come on board and help us, we want, by God’s grace, to unveil our school bus by June 22, 2018,” he confidently declared.