Acting Principal Jennifer Gordon Dies Deaths inspire us to do better - Calabar track team
The death of three prominent members of the school community in a little over four months has hit them hard, but members of Calabar High School’s track team say the losses have motivated them to do even better and win the 2008 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships, which begin today at the National Stadium.
The Calabar school fraternity woke up to the news last Saturday morning that Acting Principal Jennifer Gordon had collapsed and died at home the night before.
Gordon had been acting in place of principal Lincoln Thaxter since last September, but had been a teacher at the school for nearly 30 years.
The news of Gordon’s death came within months of the death of football team coach David Hunt, who collapsed and died in his bathroom on Friday, October 26, and that exactly one month later of former school track team coach, Jamaican Olympic legend Herb McKenley on November 26.
Taking the violence out of Boys and Girls Champs
The experts agree that the near 100-year-old high schools athletics championship, now known as the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ & Girls’ Champs, probably is the single most important reason for the great strength of Jamaica’s track and field. Jamaica’s athletic giants, dating back to arguably the most complete of them all, National Hero Norman Washington Manley who dominated ‘Champs’ in 1911, have honed their skills at the annual track and field festival.
Name them, they have all been there. From the legendary Olympians Herb McKenley and Arthur Wint to the likes of Donald Quarrie, Lennox Miller, Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert, Deon Hemmings and to our current crop that includes Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson and Usain Bolt, every generation of Jamaican athletes has been indebted to the ISSA-run boys’ and girls’ championships.
So great has been the impact of ‘Champs’ that several countries across the Caribbean region and elsewhere now seek to replicate it. But such is the nature of culture, tradition and history that the very special atmosphere that goes with Champs will remain unique to the Jamaican version. The excitement generated by the decades-old competition involving schools such as Jamaica College, Wolmer’s, Calabar and Kingston College has to be felt to be properly appreciated.
Unfortunately, that very excitement and intense competition have also seeded a negative aspect: sporadic violence down the years between supporters of the various schools.
Hence the decision - announced over recent days - by three of our leading boys’ schools - Jamaica College, Calabar and Kingston College - to jointly take initiatives to combat those who would disrupt the peace at Champs.
C&W Jamaica brings Asafa Powell to Boys and Girls Champs 2008
The world’s fastest man, Asafa Powell, will be on hand to present prizes to the top male and female athletes at this year’s Inter-Secondary Schools Association (ISSA) Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships, courtesy of Cable & Wireless Jamaica (C&WJ), an associate sponsor of the meet.
C&WJ has contributed approximately $3.8 million to the staging of the 2008 championships, which is the second allocation under a three-year agreement with ISSA. The amount represents a 15 per cent increase over C&WJ’s contribution last year.
Vice-president corporate communications Errol Miller said C&WJ’s continued sponsorship of the High School Championships demonstrates his company’s commitment to youth and sports development in Jamaica.
“We are gratified to have the opportunity to make a major contribution to a sport that has done so much to put our country on the map,” he said. “And we are proud to be involved in unearthing and showcasing the talents of the next generation of athletes that will continue our proud tradition in track and field.”
School is no Joke Tour Passes Through Calabar High
You’ve got mail, Voicemail!
On the Wednesday of last week, the tour visited three schools, Jamaica College, Kingston College and Calabar; the alma maters of the members of the Dancehall trio, Voicemail. The first stop was Jamaica College, which exultantly welcomed the artistes. Kevin and Oniel highlighted that the members of the group, although coming from different backgrounds (schools) worked together to achieve success.
The final stop was at Calabar High School. This tour was by far the most organised tour of the three. The students were all neatly seated in the auditorium when the bus arrived.
Dancehall Trio - Voicemail
There were cheers of excitement and anxiety when the bus parked outside the auditorium, as many of the students wondered which entertainers were in the bus. Craig, Kevin and Oneil departed from the bus and made their way to the platform inside the auditorium. The boys were very attentive and the artistes admirably delivered an exquisite speech. The boys asked interesting and productive questions. One of the awardees for most-improved student collected the award on behalf of the students.
Gibson Relays 2008 Results and Highlights
Defending Inter-Secondary boys champions Calabar High gave St Jago High’s crack sprint quartet a huge scare before losing in the final strides in an exciting end to the Gibson Relays Class One 4×100 metres relay at the National Stadium yesterday.
Led by the outstanding World Youth Championships 200 metres gold medallist Ramone McKenzie on the second leg, Calabar dominated for the first 300m and it took a devastating run from national junior 100m record holder Yohan Blake on the final leg to earn victory for St Jago ahead of Calabar’s anchorman Oshane Bailey. St Jago crossed the line in 40.29 with Calabar second in 40.81 and Jamaica College third in 40.81.
ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships 2008 Launched
The perennial matter of security will be high on the agenda for the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships, with 20 per cent of the J$8.3-million budget for the 2008 event, which will take place from March 12-15 at the National Stadium, geared towards security.
Champs Chairman, Clement Radcliffe, speaking at yesterday’s launch of the island’s biggest track & field meeting at the Knutsford Court Hotel, said no more than 24,000 tickets will be sold for the bleachers section of the National Stadium.
Independence Park Limited general manager, Major Desmond Brown, told the Observer the National Stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000, with 5,404 of those seats in the Grandstand. Read more
Reverend Dr Horace Russell a Great Jamaican
This evening, the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) hosts a worship service at Calabar to mark the 50th anniversary of the ordination of the Reverend Dr Horace Russell to the Christian ministry.
This significant milestone will be held in the context of a very important week because starting tomorrow, the JBU will be hosting its 159th assembly.
It is also symbolic that it is being held at the historic Calabar, a place where Russell went to high school, theological college and a place where he was ordained and became chaplain. It was a place where he baptised boys, including Derrick Kellier, MP. Read more
Calabar High team set to Dominate Howard Jackson Relays
World Youth 200m champion, Romaine McKenzie and his Calabar High team, could have things their own way at the 23rd staging of the Serge Island-sponsored Howard Jackson Relays at Paul Bogle Junior High School in Morant Bay, today, starting at 9:00 a.m.
McKenzie, along with Jermaine Brown and Oshaine Bailey, should lead their team in the Class One 4×150 and 4×300m events against Camperdown, Holmwood, Morant Bay and St. George’s. Calabar should also fancy their chances in Class Two with Earl Lee and Robert Palmer, who finished one-two at last week’s Douglas Forrest Invitational. Read more
Calabar High School 2010 Project
Although examination results cannot by themselves be a total judge of performance, they do in fact give a general overview of performance. The continued decline in overall academic performance and discipline at Calabar High School is cause for much concern. A review of the 6th Form (grades 13) 2007 external exam results show the following
There has however been some academic achievements, with students winning a number of scholarships and teams such as the Schools Challenge Team performing exceptionally well over the past few years. Our achievements on the sports field have also improved recently. However not many of the team members have performed adequately enough in the classroom to qualify for many of the athletic scholarships which are currently available.
The schools infrastructure is in urgent need of a major overhaul. There is an urgent requirement of four (4) additional classrooms and the refurbishing of nearly all the existing classrooms. To add insult to injury, a number of classrooms were recently damaged during the passing of hurricane Dean and some have still not been repaired satisfactorily.
This ever increasing poor performance of Calabar students adds to the growing phenomenon of the marginalization of young men in the society as a substantial number of her graduates add to these statistics each year.
SUPPORT FROM OLD BOYS
Despite all of the above, Calabar Old Boys continue to support the school and in fact many of the existing non-classroom activities could not continue with the success that exists without support from Old Boys. This support however is as a result of each chapter of the association going back to its members every year (sometimes several times within a year) to solicit funding.
CALABAR 2010 PROJECT
Whilst funding by itself can not solve all the existing problems at Calabar, adequate funding will go a far way in providing the necessary resources to fix the problems. The problems at Calabar are many and vary from social to economic and infrastructure issues. Read more
Herb McKenley’s body at Calabar and Related News
A statue is to be erected in honour of arguably Jamaica’s greatest athlete, Herbert Henry McKenley OM, who was laid to rest in front of a modest gathering of family, friends, officials and members of the track & field fraternity at twilight at National Heroes Park.
Read More - Jamaica Observer
Tributes were heaped on world renowned sports icon, Herbert Henry McKenley, at his official funeral service on (December 8), held at the National Arena in Kingston. Noting the challenge one would have to sum up the life of such a great legend, Former Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson in giving the remembrance, spoke of Mr. McKenley’s first years in his birth town, Pleasant Valley in Clarendon, his achievements on the sporting arena, his involvement in youth development and his contribution to national development.
Read More - JIS
The sharp hoot of the whistle was missing. There was no clap of the starter’s gun and no roar from the stadium crowd, but Jamaican Olympian Herb McKenley’s final race across the sands of time yesterday was no less legendary than the first which brought him fame. Hundreds of Jamaicans, many of them men whom he had trained to run like the wind, yesterday paid their last respects to the track legend in a star-studded official funeral at the National Arena in Kingston.
Read More - Jamaica Observer
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General community site and blog for one of Jamaica's finest educational Institutions, Calabar High School.
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