Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

High School for girls in

Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica Saint Andrew is a Parishes of Jamaica, parish, situated in the Ordinal directions, southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey, Jamaica, Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountain ...

. About 1700 girls are enrolled.

History

College of the Immaculate Conception High School Department

In January 1858, the Scottish Franciscan Sisters set up a Preparatory and Secondary School for girls at Duke Street in Kingston. The School was dedicated to and named after

Our Lady of Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

. In January 1879, the Scottish Franciscans handed over the school to the

Franciscan Sisters of Allegany The congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, with its motherhouse at St. Elizabeth's Motherhouse, Allegany, New York, was founded in 1859 by the Very Rev. Father Pamfilo of Magliano, O.F.M. History Father Pamfilo had come to the United ...

. Mothers Paula and Veronica set a high standard of achievement which is today still being preserved. In the summer of 1858, the school moved to Duke Street. On Saturday 23 October 1937, the ICHS was burnt to ashes in a terrible fire that started a block away at a beauty parlor. The school moved to Old Hope Road (temporarily) and then in 1941, the school acquired the Constant Spring Hotel (which was operated by

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

businessman Frank A. Dudley and the

United Hotels Company of America United Hotels Company of America, also known as United Hotels Company, was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, with administrative offices in New York City. The company was foun ...

in 1933.) which is now used for the Immaculate Conception High School and Convent. The school was separated into two sections, one section for the English speaking students of Jamaica and the other for French speaking students of Haiti. Due to the lack of Haitian students, the French section has been closed down. The school was a Boarding and Day School.

Campus

ICHS is located on a large campus with many facilities including: * Administrative Block * Faculty Room * School Chapel * Library * Classrooms * Performing Arts Centre * 5 Computer Rooms * Medical Room * Offices of Guidance Counsellors * Book Store * Science Building * 2 Home Economics Labs * 2 Art Studios * 3 Audio-Visual Rooms * Campus Ministry Room * Cafeteria * Music House * School Pool * Tennis Court * Netball Court * Summer House * Sixth Form Lounge * Drama House

Insignia

;Motto *Ad Astra Per Aspera "Through Difficulties to Excellence" ;Emblem *The Franciscan Coat of Arms. ;Uniform *For grades 7 to 11 (affectionately called "white coats"): white short sleeved button down blouse, mid-calf length white 12 pleated skirt, royal blue tie, low brown shoes, brown socks that fold above the ankle, a house pin worn above the breast pocket. *For grades 12 and 13 (affectionately called "blue coats"): a short sleeved blue coat lined with white piping worn over a white A-line skirt (knee length), black shoes, white socks and a house badge to be pinned upon the left collar of their coat. ;Colours *Blue, white, black and brown

Clubs and Societies

The Sport Clubs are: Badminton, Karate, Hockey, Football, Netball, Track & Field, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis, Swimming, Chess and Lacrosse. The Service and Awareness Clubs are: Immaculate Conception Environmentalists (ICE), Protecting Animal Wellness Society (PAWS), Scientific Environmental Technological Health, Key Club, Interact Club, Impact Club, Heritage Club, Tourism Action Club , Girls With A Cause, Red Cross Club, Girl Guides, Campus Ministry and Octagon Club. Other Extracurricular Activities are: Animation and Graphic Design, Modern Languages, Baking, Bible Study Society of the West Indies, Writers Club, Schools Challenge Quiz, Grooming and Etiquette, Debating, The Immaculate Conception High School Symphony Orchestra, Steel Band, Guitar Club, Concert Band, Beginner Strings, The Glee Club (Choir), Immaculate Dance Troupe, Fitness Club, Inter Schools Christian Fellowship , Sixth Form Association , Drama Club, Filmmakers Society, Immaculate Reading Society, Junior Achievers, Photography Club, Science, Environment, Technology and Health Club(SETH), Medical Club, Aviation Club, Robotics Club, Pop-Band and United Nations.

Houses

There are seven houses: # The Immaculata House - named after Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. The house color is blue. # The Franciscan House named after St. Francis of Assisi. The house color is brown. # The St. Joan of Arc House - named after St. Joan of Arc of France. The house color is yellow. #The St. Clare House - named after St. Clare. The house color is green. # The St. Tekakwitha House - named after the Indian Martyr, St Tekakwitha. The house color is red. # The St. Rose of Lima House - named after the first canonized saint in the Western Hemisphere. The house color is rose-pink. # The Davidica House - named after Sister M. Davidica, former principal of ICHS. The house color is purple.

Notable alumnae

;Politics and Law *

Shahine Robinson Shahine Elizabeth Robinson ( née Fakhourie; 4 July 1953 – 29 May 2020) was a Jamaican politician, who served as the Minister of Labour and Social Security. She was a member of the Parliament of Jamaica for Saint Ann North Eastern. She ser ...

, MP for St Ann * Tracy Robinson, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law,University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, Jamaica; Rhodes Scholar 1992; member of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).Tracy Robinson Profile
/ref> ;Sports *

Sanya Richards-Ross Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being th ...

, American track and field athlete. * Alia Atkinson, Jamaican swimmer and Olympian.

References

External links

Aerial view

Official school website
{{Roman Catholicism in Jamaica Girls' schools in Jamaica Educational institutions established in 1858 Catholic schools in Jamaica Schools in Kingston, Jamaica 1858 establishments in Jamaica United Hotels Company of America