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THE GLEANER’S PREP SCHOOL GUIDE 2018 |
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THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018
R
ELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS have
always played an important role in
the development of education in
Jamaica. Inspired by this fact, Father
James H. Barry SJ saw the need for a
school to be connected to the Roman
Catholic Church in Kingston.
On the evening of Monday,
September 7, 1953, St Theresa
Preparatory School in Vineyard Town
was officially opened. There was a repre-
sentative gathering of clergy, parishioners,
friends and civic leaders, including the
Chief Minister of Jamaica Alexander
Bustamante. Classes began on Tuesday,
September 8 (the Feast Day of Our
Lady’s Nativity), with 220 pupils. The
school then was a long, low building
with five classrooms.
Father Barry SJ, was instrumental in
staffing the school, having invited the
Dominican Sisters to Jamaica, with the
permission of Mother Geraldine, to be
the first teachers. Sister Marcella Hickey
was the first principal and Una
Hendricks, the vice-principal. Sister
Timothy and three lay teachers com-
pleted the initial staff. During the period
1953-1969, the school expanded and
the numbers increased to 750 students
in 17 classrooms. A library, a staffroom,
and curriculum rooms were added to
the main school building. An additional
block (upstairs), which houses the
computer laboratory and administrative
offices, was erected in 2002, and in
2003, another block was built to
accommodate the canteen, tuck shop,
storerooms, and the accounts and
maintenance departments.
The present school population stands
at approximately 300 students. The high
standard St Theresa has achieved
through providing top-quality educational
opportunities can be attributed to stability
among its academic staff and the dedi-
cation and commitment of its past and
present administrators, members of the
school board, academic and ancillary
staff and a concerned and vibrant
parent-teacher association.
The students are well rounded by the
various co-curricular activities offered by
the school. These include chess, swim-
ming, karate, K-Kids, Brownies, Cub Scouts,
training in football, netball, track and field
and cricket, and the Computer, Spanish,
Wellness, Debating and Environmental
Clubs. Of greater importance, however, is
the emphasis that has always been placed
on the value of a Christian education.
Students participate in daily worship.
ACHIEVEMENTS
St Theresa Prep has a long history of
excellence in academic achievements
and has a deep appreciation for the
Jamaican culture. The school participates
in the annual Jamaica Cultural
Development Commission’s Festival in
music, speech and dance. The school is
naturally proud of its successes and aca-
demic achievements with regard to the
Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Test,
the Grade Six Achievement Test, and the
number of scholarships it has been
awarded over the years.
Many past students have demonstrated
their abilities by becoming outstanding
citizens in the business community and
in the field of sports. Every year, the
students who graduate and move on to
high school are highly recognised for the
standard of their work, high measure of
discipline, and well-rounded knowledge
of academics, sports, and aesthetics.
ST THERESA PREPARATORY SCHOOL
A long history of excellence