Munro College is a prominent boarding school for boys in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. It was founded in 1856 as the Potsdam School (named for the city of Potsdam) a free school for poor boys in St. Elizabeth as stipulated in the will of plantation owners Robert Hugh Munro and Caleb Dickenson. It was renamed Munro College during World War I as part of the general rejection of German names at the time, though the surrounding Potsdam district was not also renamed.
Munro College takes its name from one of its benefactors and was established in the fashion of the British public school. Several of the boarding houses take the names of other benefactors or illustrious alumni. The campus has its own chapel and magnificent views of the Caribbean sea and Pedro Plains from its perch atop the peak of the Santa Cruz Mountain.
Over the years Munro College has distinguished itself as a centre for excellence in secondary education in Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean. It is reputed to have produced the most Rhode Scholars of any secondary school in the Caribbean. The most recent Rhodes Scholar from Munro College is Vincent Taylor (Jamaica and Magdalen 2013). Munro College is currently the only all boys boarding school in Jamaica.
Sport Houses
Munro College has 5 houses. (3 Boarding Houses and 2 Day Houses)
Pearman Calder - Green    . Coke Farquharson - Navy Blue     Gold     Dickenson House - Red     Black     Harrison House - Purple     White     Sangster House - Blue     Yellow    Â
Houses participate in various sporting events and non sporting such as inter house quiz against each other with the winner having bragging rights. The 2015-2016 sports champion was Pearman Calder with Sangster house winning the inter house quiz beating Coke Farquharson in the final
Sixth form
Although established as a free school for poor boys, Munro used to admit Hampton girls into its 6th Form program but as of the new term of September 2010 it was discontinued along with the classes previously offered at Hampton School. Munro College now has a shared campus with Hampton School where both set of sixth formers learn the arts in a cool, learning-inducing environment with quality teachers.
Hampton Boarding School (Jamaica) was founded as a sister school to Munro College for girls in the area of Saint Elizabeth.
Motto
The school's motto is In arce sitam quis occultabit - A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
Notable alumni
Alumni include many prominent figures in Jamaican society; one of its most notable is former Prime Minister Donald Sangster, others include Kenneth McNeill, Oraine Barrett, Morris Cargill, John Cyril Emerson Swaby and Douglas Manley, brother to former Prime Minister Michael Manley. Basil Waite, Former Opposition Spokesperson on Education is also a graduate of Munro College as is popular journalist Lindy Delapenha, Ruel Reid; current minister of education, Principal of Jamaica College, past head boy and former JTA President, The Honourable Burchell Whiteman, O.J., and Dr Derrick McKoy, lawyer and former Contractor-General. Current Minister of State of Education Floyd Green; Oje Ken Ollivierre, popularly known as Protoje, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica.
Historic buildings
Four of Munro's buildings have been declared National Heritage Sites by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust:
- Coke Farquharson Dining Room
- The Chapel
- Pearman Calder Building
- The Staff Room
References
External links
- Aerial view
- Photos: [1] [2]