York Castle High School
Encyclopedia
York Castle High School is a co-educational secondary school in Jamaica
. The school has educated some of the region's best leaders and it continues to play a pivotal role in Jamaica's development.
In that year, the Methodist Church purchased a property named York Castle near Alderton, where they established a Theological College in 1976. In 1996, York Castle closed its doors due to financial difficulties. Despite this closure, the need for education in the area remained a constant challenge to men of vision who embraced the idea which has originally led to the founding of York Castle in 1876. Before the closure, Mr. T. Bramwell had in 1903 set up a Middlesex High School in Brown's Town. Mr. Bramwell served as principal for over 40 years. After his death, Middlesex High School was renamed Henderson High School in 1947, after a Baptist Minister - Rev. George Henderson. Henderson high school closed its doors in 1954.
By this time, the idea of continuing the principle of education found custody in the hands of concerned citizens who renamed the school Northside in 1955.
At the synod of the Methodist Church in 1946, there was a resolution asking the church to recognize its obligation to establish a school for boys, or possibly a coeducational school to be called "York Castle". A committee was set up which was entrusted with the task of establishing a new school in St. Ann. This committee contemplated a site for this new school. On November 30, 1956, the committee, consisting of educators, churchmen and others met and considered an offer from Northside secondary school that the school be handed over to the Methodist Church. The offer was accepted. with a proposed loan from the Methodist Church and gifts from past students of the former York Castle and the sale of the property which the former York Castle was sited, it was agreed that as of January 1, 1957 the Methodist Church would assume control over Northside Secondary School. the Egypt site was decided on in March 1957 and the stone laying ceremony took place on May 16, 1957. By August, the school was given a full ministerial recognition as a secondary grant aided school now bearing the name York Castle High School.
On January 7, 1958, the new school building was opened with 195 day students and 40 boarders. In February, the official opening of the building was done by the Hon. N.W. Manley, Premier of Jamaica.
Arts and Culture
Business and Finance
Clergy
Music and Entertainment
Journalism and Media
Life sciences and medicine
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Sports
Like a Pyramid upon the plain of Egypt
Dominating the whole countryside
Your future can be what you make it
Success will come once you have tried
Like a seed growing out of the ashes
Like a shoot from the stark of a tree
Keep believing that you have a future
Think how bright your tomorrow can be
Let us give thanks unto the almighty
Who has helped men to labour within
And who gave us the determination
To enter, to fight and to win.
We will go forth across every nation
But you will have a place in our heart
We'll reflect and give consideration
And remember you gave us a start.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The school has educated some of the region's best leaders and it continues to play a pivotal role in Jamaica's development.
History
On a hill side property by the name of Egypt in North-West St. Ann is a high school named "York Castle", tucked away for the past 52 years and responsible for some of Jamaica's most prominent scholars. York Castle High School has a rich history and roots dating back as far as 1875.In that year, the Methodist Church purchased a property named York Castle near Alderton, where they established a Theological College in 1976. In 1996, York Castle closed its doors due to financial difficulties. Despite this closure, the need for education in the area remained a constant challenge to men of vision who embraced the idea which has originally led to the founding of York Castle in 1876. Before the closure, Mr. T. Bramwell had in 1903 set up a Middlesex High School in Brown's Town. Mr. Bramwell served as principal for over 40 years. After his death, Middlesex High School was renamed Henderson High School in 1947, after a Baptist Minister - Rev. George Henderson. Henderson high school closed its doors in 1954.
By this time, the idea of continuing the principle of education found custody in the hands of concerned citizens who renamed the school Northside in 1955.
At the synod of the Methodist Church in 1946, there was a resolution asking the church to recognize its obligation to establish a school for boys, or possibly a coeducational school to be called "York Castle". A committee was set up which was entrusted with the task of establishing a new school in St. Ann. This committee contemplated a site for this new school. On November 30, 1956, the committee, consisting of educators, churchmen and others met and considered an offer from Northside secondary school that the school be handed over to the Methodist Church. The offer was accepted. with a proposed loan from the Methodist Church and gifts from past students of the former York Castle and the sale of the property which the former York Castle was sited, it was agreed that as of January 1, 1957 the Methodist Church would assume control over Northside Secondary School. the Egypt site was decided on in March 1957 and the stone laying ceremony took place on May 16, 1957. By August, the school was given a full ministerial recognition as a secondary grant aided school now bearing the name York Castle High School.
On January 7, 1958, the new school building was opened with 195 day students and 40 boarders. In February, the official opening of the building was done by the Hon. N.W. Manley, Premier of Jamaica.
School crest
The book in the upper left hand corner of the crest bears the words, "Gloria Deo", meaning Glory be to God.Schools Challenge Quiz
In 1952, York Castle High School was the winner of Television Jamaica's Schools Challenge Quiz competition in Jamaica. This team was led by James Walsh, now Principal of Brown's Town Community College. Other team members were Omar Brown, Lorence Brown and Lawrence Alexander. York Castle High School holds the following records in the Schools Challenge Quiz competition:- The first Co-Ed school to win Schools Challenge Quiz.
- The first rural area school to win quiz.
- The first and only school in St. Ann to win quiz.
Curriculum
Subjects offered to students at the CSEC level include Agricultural Science, Biology, Building Technology, Caribbean History, Chemistry, Clothing & Textiles, Electronic Document Preparation & Management, English A, English B, Food & Nutrition, Georgaphy, Home Economics Management, Human & Social Biology, Industrial Technology, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering Technology(starting soon), Music, Office Administration, Physical Education & Sport, Physics, Principles of Account, Principles of Business, Religious Education, Social Studies, Spanish, Technical Drawing and Visual Arts.Notable Alumni
Academia- Tamari Miller, 2007 CXC Top Spanish Student
- Jason Lofters, 2007 CXC Top Chemistry Student
- Norman Tai, 2009 CXC Top student in Technical subjects
- Talcott Parsons, 2010 Top Jamaican science student
- Nikitha Chowdary Kanakamedala, 2010 Top Principles of Business student in the Caribbean
Arts and Culture
Business and Finance
- Pansy Johnson, President of the Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners (NJBP)
- Evrod Nam, CEO of Island Dairies Jamaica Ltd.
Clergy
Music and Entertainment
- Ernie Smith (singer)Ernie Smith (singer)Ernie Smith is a reggae singer, with a deep baritone voice, who had his greatest success in the late 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:Smith was born in Kingston and raised in St. Ann...
- Greg Rose, most commonly known as Perfect (musician)Perfect (musician)Perfect is a reggae singer.-Biography:The third child in a family of four children, Rose grew up in the cool hills of Bamboo, which is south of St. Anns Bay and east of Browns Town, in the parish of St. Ann...
Journalism and Media
- Jennifer 'Jenny Jenny' Small
Life sciences and medicine
Military and emergency services
Politics and Law
- Ernest Smith, Politician/Lawyer
- Sylbourne Sydial
Sports
- Deon HemmingsDeon HemmingsDeon Hemmings is a former female 400 metres hurdler.Hemmings was the first ever Jamaican woman to win an Olympic Gold when she won the 400m Hurdles at the 1996 Olympics breaking the Olympic record which stood to 2004...
- Xavier MarshallXavier MarshallXavier Melbourne Marshall is a West Indies cricketer. He is a batsman and a talented fielder. However in recent years he has failed to live up to his previous reputation as a promising young cricketer, and his progress in international cricket has since stagnated as a result of much inconsistency...
The School Song
York Castle High Reach for the SkyLike a Pyramid upon the plain of Egypt
Dominating the whole countryside
Your future can be what you make it
Success will come once you have tried
- York Castle High, reach for the sky
- Be the best you can be
- It's a part of your destiny (repeat x1)
Like a seed growing out of the ashes
Like a shoot from the stark of a tree
Keep believing that you have a future
Think how bright your tomorrow can be
- York Castle High, reach for the sky
- Be the best you can be
- It's a part of your destiny (repeat x1)
Let us give thanks unto the almighty
Who has helped men to labour within
And who gave us the determination
To enter, to fight and to win.
- York Castle High, reach for the sky
- Be the best you can be
- It's a part of your destiny (repeat x1)
We will go forth across every nation
But you will have a place in our heart
We'll reflect and give consideration
And remember you gave us a start.
- York Castle High, reach for the sky
- Be the best you can be
- It's a part of your destiny (repeat x1)
Principals
| Name of Principal | Years served |
| Rev. John W. Poxon | 1957–1969 |
| Hon. Mr. Burchell A. Whiteman | 1969–1976 |
| Mr. James V. McDonald | 1976–1980 |
| Mr. Sterling Gordon | 1980–1991 |
| Mr. Carl Brown | 1991–1995 |
| Mr. Caswell Burton | 1995–1997 |
| Mrs. Beverely Hawthorne | 1997–2009 |
| Mr. Raymon St.A Treasure | 2009–Present |
Houses
There are four houses at York Castle High:- Bramwell - Green
- Henderson - Blue
- Curphey - Yellow
- Murray - Red