Munro College is a boarding school for boys in St Elizabeth,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. It was founded in 1856 as the Potsdam School (named for the city of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...

), a school for boys in St. Elizabeth as stipulated in the will of

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

owners Robert Hugh Munro and Caleb Dickenson. It was renamed Munro College during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and Pedro Plains from its perch atop the peak of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Munro College 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 F. Taylor (Jamaica and Magdalen 2013). Munro College is currently the only all-boys boarding school in

Sixth form

Although established as a free school for poor boys, Munro used to admit Hampton girls into its 6th Form programme, but as of the new term of September 2010 this 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. Hampton School (Jamaica) was founded in 1858 as a sister school to Munro College in the Malvern, Saint Elizabeth (Jamaica).

Hampton School Hampton School (formerly Hampton Grammar School) is an independent boys' day school in Hampton, Greater London, England. It is regarded as one of the top independent schools in the country. Hampton School’s A-Level and GCSE results in 2021 ...

is an all-girls boarding school.

Motto

The school's motto is ''In arce sitam quis occultabit'' — A city set upon a hill cannot be hid.Jamaica Observer

Notable alumni

Alumni include many prominent figures in Jamaican society; one of the most notable is former Prime Minister

Donald Sangster Sir Donald Burns Sangster ON GCVO (26 October 1911 – 11 April 1967) was a Jamaican solicitor and politician, and the second Prime Minister of Jamaica. Early life Donald Burns Sangster was born in Black River in the parish of St. Elizab ...

. Others include former Ministers of Health:

Kenneth McNeill Kenneth McNeill, Doctor of Medicine, MD, Member of parliament, MP (1918 – 2001), was a Jamaican political figure and a renowned surgeon. He died at the age of 83 in Jamaica. He is the father of five children including present politician Wykeham ...

Herbert Eldemire Herbert Wellesley Eldemire, CD (16 October 193020 May 2010), was a Jamaican politician who served as independent Jamaica's first Minister of Health from 1962 to 1972. Early life and education Eldemire was born to father Arthur Wellesley Eldemir ...

, and Douglas Manley (brother to former Prime Minister

Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...

); former Minister of Education

Burchell Whiteman Burchell Anthony Whiteman, (born March 30, 1938) is a Jamaican former politician. A member of the People's National Party (PNP), he served as a Member of Parliament, the Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Minister of Education, and ...

. Oraine Barrett,

Morris Cargill Morris Cargill CD (10 June 1914 – 8 April 2000, Kingston) was a Jamaican lawyer, businessman, planter, journalist and novelist. He was also a columnist for the Jamaican Gleaner. Life Educated at Munro College, a prestigious Jamaican second ...

, John Cyril Emerson Swaby and D. Basil Waite, former Opposition Spokesperson on Education are also a graduates of Munro College, as is popular journalist

Lindy Delapenha Lloyd Lindbergh "Lindy" Delapenha (5 May 1927 – 26 January 2017) was a Jamaican footballer and sports journalist. He was the first Jamaican to play professional football in England. Between 1948 and 1960, he played league football for Portsmou ...

, O.J., and Dr

Derrick McKoy Derrick Vincent McKoy (born 3 October 1951) is the Attorney General of Jamaica. McKoy was appointed to the post on 11 January 2022 by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. McKoy was previously a commissioner of Jamaica's anti-corruption body the I ...

, CD, KC, lawyer, former Contractor-General and Attorney-General of Jamaica. Judge Ira DeCordova Rowe. Current Minister of State of Education Floyd Green; Andrew Salkey (Jamaican-British novelist and broadcaster, Oje Ken Ollivierre, popularly known as

Protoje Oje Ken Ollivierre (born 14 June 1981), popularly known as Protoje, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica. His mother is Jamaican singer Lorna Bennett, best known for her 1972 rendition of "Breakfast in Bed".Johnson, Rich ...

, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica.

Historic buildings

Four of Munro's buildings have been declared National Heritage Sites by

Jamaica National Heritage Trust The Jamaica National Heritage Trust is responsible for the promotion, preservation, and development of Jamaica's material cultural heritage (buildings, monuments, bridges, etc.). The organisation maintains the list of National Heritage Sites in J ...

: *Coke Farquharson Building *The Chapel *Pearman Calder Building *The Staff Room *Baby Dorm Other notable buildings on the campus includes: *Harrison Memorial Library *Biology Laboratory *The Old Observatory *Hospital Building *Headmaster's House and Study *Old Armoury Building *Mr. Harle's House (now Guidance Counselor Office) *Bell Tower *Richard B. Roper Auditorium *Munro College Post Office Munro College was the first high school in the English-speaking Caribbean to have a grid-connected wind turbine energy source. The 225 kilowatt generator was commissioned in 1996, making Munro College a pioneer leader in renewable energy sources in the Caribbean.

References

External links

Aerial view
*Photos

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro College Educational institutions established in 1856 Schools in Jamaica Buildings and structures in Saint Elizabeth Parish 1856 establishments in the British Empire