Ellen White in the book Fundamentals of Christian Education page 359 wrote “As long as time shall last, we shall be in need of schools.”
These prophetic words, germinated in the parish of Portland, Jamaica West Indies on January 22, 1962 when Portland High School was established at the Port Antonio Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10 Sommers Town Road, Port Antonio. The establishment of the school in Portland was the brainchild of Pastor Herbert Fletcher, then Education Director of East Jamaica Conference of Seventh day Adventists.
The school threw its doors open on that historic day to 33 eager students and three teachers: namely, Miss E Gregory, Miss B. Gregory and Mrs. Joslyn Clarke. Pastor L. H. Fletcher was the chief architect in laying the foundation of the school and as a result the Governing Board asked him to serve as the Acting Principal of the school until August of that year, a position he enthusiastically accepted.
When the new school year, began in September 1962 Elder S. G. Campbell assumed the position as Principal with Pastor H. E. Nembhard as Chairman of the School Board. The school grew steadily attracting new students yearly and by December 1965 the school had its first Graduation Exercise under the Principal ship of Mr. Eric Pryce, who also wrote the school song which is still being used today. Mr. Pryce was later succeeded by Mr. Maynard Brown.
The school continued to grow in enrolment under the able principal-ship of Mr. Brown. As a result, the school out-grew the space it occupied in the church, and lands had to be acquired to accommodate the fast-growing school. The School Board in its attempt to meet the needs of the school acquired a plot of land from Mrs. Doris Chin located at 16 Rice Piece Road Bound brook, Port Antonio. The school was relocated to its new address in 1969 where it still stands today as a beacon of light. The new location created a whole new atmosphere which became more conducive to learning and contributed to the increase of the school’s population to almost 300.
The rein of responsibility was passed from Mr. M. Brown to Mr. Trevor G. Gardener who took the school to the highest level of enrolment ever experienced by the school at that time. The 310 students now enrolled necessitated further expansion of the school’s plant, and the academic offerings. This expansion included a Science Laboratory, Canteen, a Library, additional classrooms and the introduction of Physical Education in the curriculum.
Mr. Albert V. Mayne subsequently assumed the role of Principal and added the administrative building in 1981. In his quest for higher education Mr. Mayne later migrated which gave rise to the need of an interim Principal, Pastor Errol Thomas Youth and Education Director of East Jamaica Conference who assumed the position and later passed the baton on to Pastor Derek Bignall.
In 1987 Mr. Fitzroy M. Davis, with over fifteen years of experience in denominational work specializing in teacher education, became the next Principal he also continued the tradition of building, creating more classroom space and adding other much needed areas; such as; a computer lab and a well-needed staff room.
Portland High School has enjoyed many successes over these forty-eight (48) years. She continues to mold the life of her students, shaping their mental, physical and spiritual powers for active service in this life and the life to come. The curriculum was developed to maximum efficiency to meet the educational standards, satisfying the requirements of the Ministry of education and the General Conference Accrediting standards. The division of subjects according to career choices was later implemented so that students could choose their subjects based on their career goals.
In 1982, the students were privileged for the first time to write their external examinations in their own centre (the school’s auditorium). The school continues to experience overwhelming success results in the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CXC now renamed CSEC) and General Certificate Examination (G C E) External Examinations. As much as 100% passes occur in some subject areas. The debut entrance for students doing GCE Accounts resulted in 100% passes with credits and distinctions only. Mrs. H. Russell the teacher who successfully tutored the students was greatly applauded.
Through knowledge, we shall rise.
The annual familiarization tour of the Northern Caribbean University (formerly West Indies College) – now called College Day in the various disciplines continues. Each year approximately 10 – 25% of our graduates choose this institution for tertiary education. To date, Portland High School has graduated over 2000 students. Our past students have distinguished themselves in various fields as they have been making sterling contributions both nationally and internationally.
One excellent record of achievement that has embellished the history of our school was the establishment of a Preparatory School (1994/5). This was made possible by the Portland High School Old Students Association (PHOSA) this school serves as a feeder school for the High School. The Portland Preparatory School as it is named started with 19 students. Mrs. Joyce Clarke, now retired, and Mrs. Monica Knight were the first teachers at the school. This school now has an enrolment of 100 students and boasts exceptionally high results in the Grade Six Achievement Tests (GSAT) each year.
Portland High School now stands as an accredited school by the Department of Education at the General Conference. As outlined in our Mission Statement, the school is committed to providing “Quality Christian Education” in a safe, healthy, Christ-centered environment. Adherence to moral and ethical rules of conduct and Adventist healthy life-style principles yields a positive well-balanced atmosphere.
Our aim is to assist in developing moral and spiritual characters based on sound biblical principles; hence our motto is ‘Education for Life’.
