Transforming the nation through education
Catholic education in the Diocese of Mandeville
THE DIOCESE of Mandeville was proud to bear witness to a historic event as Mount Saint Joseph Catholic High School (MSJCHS) held its first ever graduation ceremony at Mercy Hall on Sunday, July 7. MSJCHS first opened its doors five years ago in September 2014, becoming the second of two Catholic high schools in the diocese. Cheslan Douglas and Tamra Williams will go down in history as the school’s first valedictorians, along with head prefects Ryando Parker and Danya-Ann Holness and deputy head prefects Joshua Givans and Moesha Salmon. For Cheryl-Ann Gayle, principal of the school, as well as for teachers, staff, and board members, it was a proud and memorable day.
Over the last five years, MSJCHS has made significant achievements in various national competitions, winning medals in dance, drumming, modern languages, art, drama, mathematics, public speaking, environmental research, and sports. In 2017, the school was recognised for being the top-ranked school in CAPE results. Subsequently, the school has had to put a hold on continuing with a sixth form until the Ministry of Education completes construction of all the planned classroom buildings.
PRESENCE IN EDUCATION
The Diocese of Mandeville has, from the start, built and maintained a strong presence in education. Currently, the diocese oversees seven early childhood institutions, five prep schools, a vocational training institute, a tertiary college, and a career institute-trade training centre for at-risk boys.
The early childhood schools, as well, have been seeing their own successes. After years of effort and hard work, five of our basic schools have finally attained the rigorous standards developed in 2015 by the Early Childhood Commission to achieve certification. These 12 operating standards cover the areas of staffing development and educational programmes; interactions and relationships with children; physical environment; indoor and outdoor equipment; health; nutrition; safety; child rights, child protection; equality; parent and stakeholder participation; administration; and finance.
The schools that have achieved certification are St Philomena Basic School, Portland Cottage, Clarendon: St Joseph Basic School in Cross Keys, Manchester; Holy Cross Basic School in Pratville, Manchester; Annunciation Basic School in Hayes, Clarendon; and St Anthony in Oxford, Manchester.
With unflagging energy and dedication, the principals and staff of these and all our diocese schools continue to impress with their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty for love of their students and their school.
The diocese receives strong
support from overseas donors, some of whom have partnered with our schools to provide ongoing assistance to the schools and students. St John the Evangelist Parish in Maryland; St Joseph Parish in York, Pennsylvania; Holy Trinity Parish, Edmonton, Canada; and Cross Catholic Outreach in Florida, in particular, continue to give strong support to their twin schools. A medical team, headed by Dr Adele de Vera, has been providing free medical check-ups to our basic school students and staff during the summer months for the last eight years. Food For the Poor, longtime partners of the diocese, has provided buildings, furniture, and other donated goods to schools of the Diocese of Mandeville.