Montego Bay Opens Second All-Boys School

Princess HenrySeptember 7, 2022

Montego Bay is now the home to a new educational facility and second all-boys institution in the capital city, the Monsignor Gladstone Wilson College for Boys. The school, which is associated with the Roman Catholic Church, opened its door to its first batch of incoming students on Monday, September 5, 2022.

The high school kick-started its 2022 to 2023 school year activities with an orientation in honour of its six spearheading students (four seventh graders and two sixth formers) who will be left under the guardianship of Dave Soares, Principal of the institution, and its team of knowledgeable teachers.

The Monsignor Gladstone Wilson College for Boys shares a compound with the Roman Catholic Blessed Cathedral and is sandwiched between Cornwall College (previously the sole all-boys school in the area) and Mt Alvernia High School (all-girls). They will be sharing the laboratory space with Mt Alvernia for a provisional period. Virtual education is expected to be a fundamental aspect of the teaching and learning process, which blankets courses of study in Mathematics, technology, science, and ethics.

Conceptualized in 2020, the school began at the sixth-form level with the directive of filling a vacancy for students with good grades in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations but had inadequate post-grade-11 options.

A director of the board of management for the new school, Beacon Baldwin Powell, stated that he is very enthusiastic that the dream and vision of the church (which is to build another all-boys school in the St. James parish) have finally come to fruition almost three years down the line.

At the orientation on Monday, Powell, addressing the pioneering students (and their parents), said, “To me, and I hope to you as well, this is a very historical occasion; you are part of history.” He declared that a picture would be taken of the first set of students and that their journey would be “prayerfully” watched.

Powell urged parents and students alike to push through with the opportunity that they are being offered and not to quit halfway. He voiced that Catholic-operated schools are building a prolific tradition of excellence. He stated, “Parents, don’t give up, don’t quit. And young men, don’t quit either. You are going to be given personalized education, use this opportunity very well.”

Additionally, Powell is praying that the reform needed in Jamaica can be found with these students whom he wishes to see graduate successfully. He lamented, “Our society is in peril, great danger, and we need men to rise up and be counted.” Remarking that “this is not a normal school,” Powell declares that students will receive an unparalleled level of training at the Monsignor Gladstone Wilson College for Boys.