Quietly preparing for greatness

Jonathan Grant High School’s stunning upset of Campion College in the opening round of Television Jamaica’s Schools’ Challenge Quiz last week played out like a modern-day David versus Goliath – an unheralded contender toppling one of the competition’s most formidable giants. While the result shocked many viewers, Acting Principal Cheryll Shippey said it was anything but accidental for a school that has spent years quietly preparing its students to take on any challenge without intimidation.

“It’s not the school or the name. It’s what is done at the institution,” she told The Sunday Gleaner last week. “I can say at Jonathan Grant High School, our teachers are conscientious, and they will go the extra mile.”

The Spanish Town, St Catherine-based institution defeated the highly regarded Campion College 25–8 in the longest-running academic competition in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Jonathan Grant has participated in Schools’ Challenge Quiz for more than two decades and, while it has not yet lifted the championship trophy, it has built a reputation for upsetting more established opponents. Last year, it surprised viewers with a victory over the St Andrew-based Ardenne High School.

“I think we are on our way, and the programme that the team has, it’s not that we just go and we just deal with the quiz. We make sure that these students are rounded students,” Shippey said.

Practising intensely

“At this time when they are practising intensely, we make sure that they are on top of their game with their studies, their assignments are done, they are given a timetable and they have to ensure that they are on top of their academic game at school as well as Schools’ Challenge Quiz.”

A video of the last moments of the match showing the upset victory has since gone viral and has “put the school up another notch”, the principal stated.

It has also helped to shift negative perceptions stemming from a previous viral video that showed an altercation between students and a teacher.

For Dean of Discipline Carl Green, however, the real significance of the win lies in its impact on the wider student body.

“This is a boost in morale and academics for our students, it’s a reminder that we have something going on here, and it’s also an encouragement for those on the outside who want to become a part of the Jonathan Grant family,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

On Friday morning, while substituting for a class, Vice Principal Jadio Dennis took the opportunity to introduce team captain Shantel Davy to the students, both to express pride in the team’s achievement and to inspire the class.

“I know the entire school community is proud of the achievement of the students. The parents have been speaking about it. Our teachers – everybody is just excited. And what it signals for us and also for our students is for them to know that they have the ability to accomplish great exploits and we really want them to tap into it,” he said.

Davy, a sixth-former, praised the support the team has received from the school throughout their preparation.

“We’ve worked hard from December, and our coach is a very good coach and our teachers have given us support … We worked hard for what we achieved,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

“As long as you put in the work, you will get the results you seek,” her teammate, 17-year-old Sanjay Tennant, chimed in.

The victory felt validating

Grade eight student Tashema Doharty, the youngest member of the team, admitted she was anxious when she first learned they would be facing Campion, but said the victory felt validating.

“A lot of people didn’t think it was real and didn’t think it was possible, but we did.

“When we first heard that we were playing Campion, I was a little nervous but we studied, worked hard, and listened to our coach, and we did it,” she said.

Teammate Jerome Kasher was surprised by the margin of victory, which has given them more confidence to face their next opponent in February.

But Kasher noted that he was most pleased they had “given the school something to be proud of”.

“The school has been very vibrant, students seem more motivated, which is our aim, to motivate the populace so people will not idle, but will do their work,” he said.

Green noted that Jonathan Grant High, which was established 45 years ago, has “always been up there among the upper echelons of schools”, but outlined the need for the school to now “separate ourselves as a non-traditional institution”.

More than 70 per cent of students at the school achieved five or more Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects last year. The school recorded a 100 per cent pass rate in agricultural science, building and construction, building technology, industrial electrical technology, physical education and sport, and textile, clothing, and fashion. Pass rates stood at 91 per cent in English A and 20 per cent in mathematics.

The school’s overall

pass rate

Shippey explained that several students in the same cohort sat CSEC mathematics before entering grade 11 and, when this was factored in, the school’s overall pass rate exceeded 50 per cent.

She added that most students enter the institution reading at or above the grade seven level, allowing the school to eliminate the need for a literacy specialist in recent years.

Beyond academics, the school has also excelled in sports.

“The netballers are very successful in their games, rugby is one of them, and tennis is also another game. And all of those games or teams, they have always had someone on the national team … or they are trying [out] with the national team,” she said.

With a population of about 1,700 students, Jonathan Grant High serves primarily communities in Spanish Town, while also drawing students from Sligoville, Point Hill, Bog Walk, and Linstead.

The school currently operates on a shift system, which Shippey said remains a challenge as it works towards becoming a full-day institution. Built to accommodate 800 students, the campus has expanded with the addition of another block housing between six and 10 classrooms, as well as four classrooms added by the Ministry of Education.

“We are trying to get off shift, but we would need a lot more classrooms for that to be a reality. We try to make do with the rooms that we have.”

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com