Harrison College is a co-educational grammar school (secondary school) in Bridgetown, Barbados. Founded in 1733, the school takes its name from Thomas Harrison, a Bridgetown merchant, who intended it to serve as "A Public and Free School for the poor and indigent boys of the parish".
Even in the nineteenth century it was recognised as perhaps the most prestigious secondary school in the British West Indies, attracting boys from neighbouring islands, including Pelham Warner who later went on to become the "Grand Old Man" of English cricket. Described as "The Eton College of Barbados", since Barbados' independence in 1966, five out of Barbados's seven Prime Ministers have been alumni of Harrison College, among whom are also numbered the national poet Kamau Brathwaite and Alan Emtage the co-inventor of Archie search engine.
The school is responsible for the production of at least 65% of all government scholars or exhibition winners since the government introduced these aids to help funding with tertiary education.
It was an all-boys school for most of its history, with girls admitted to the Sixth Form in at least 1970 and to the lower forms in September 1980. Since the 1960s, no fees have been attached to study at Harrison College, but entry is by a competitive national examination. Harrison College or "Kolij" as it is more affectionately known to its students and alumni has been a cornerstone of Barbadian education since its establishment in 1733.
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Location
The school is spread over several acres in Crumpton Street, at the heart of the country's capital, Bridgetown. The campus includes: an assembly hall; library; laboratories for music, art, physics, chemistry, and biology; two large playing fields in addition to basketball and tennis courts; headmaster's and treasurer's offices, faculty retreat and an outdoor firing range maintained by the school's cadet corps.
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Accreditation
Harrison College is one of 22 public secondary schools accredited by the Ministry of Education of Barbados. Students gain entry to the school on the results of a competitive examination, the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination at the age of 11 years. Traditionally the top 120 students (top 60 males and 60 females) in the examination are awarded entry to the school. However, after zoning was implemented in 1996, students may opt to go to other schools.
At the end of their fifth year students write the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination set by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). This examination has replaced the Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level examination and is of an equivalent standard.
Two years later, at the end of their Upper Sixth form year, students used to write the Cambridge General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level which has been replaced by the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination. Harrison College has maintained a minimum 75% pass rate at CXC and 70% at 'A' Level and CAPE. Since 1990, 150 students have attained Barbados scholarships and Government awards.
Structure
The school's population is 1000 to 1100 students. The Junior School (Forms 1-3) has around 360 students who take subjects which include English, French, Spanish, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Integrated Science, Geography, History, Woodwork, Metalwork, Music, Art, Religious Studies, Technical Drawing and Physical Education.
In the fourth year all students start a two-year course leading to a Certificate of Secondary Education. Students are required to take English, Mathematics, one science subject (Physics, Chemistry or Biology), one language (either French or Spanish) and one social science (either History or Geography). They are also given the choice of two other subjects chosen from among foreign languages, science, History or Geography, Art, Technical Drawing, Principles of Business, Principles of Accounts, and Information Technology. Students take at least eight subjects.
Nearly all students continue their studies at Sixth Form Level and entry is dependent on a satisfactory performance at the CXC Examination. There is a great flexibility of choice at sixth form level as a wide range of subjects is offered to suit a range of interests, university requirements and ability.
Faculty
The college has sixty-three faculty members, including part-time staff, fifty-three of whom have bachelor's degrees and ten of whom hold master's degrees. The principal is Miss Juanita Wade, with Mr David McCarthy as Deputy Principal.
Calendar
The academic year has thirty-seven weeks and is divided into three terms in the traditional model: Michaelmas Term, Hilary Term and Trinity Term. Detailed reports of students are sent to parents at the end of each term. In addition, mid-term reports are sent to parents of students in forms 1-5.
Careers
The great majority of students leaving Harrison College pursue some form of higher education, going to universities and colleges in the U.S.A, Canada, the United Kingdom, as well as the regional University of the West Indies. A Guidance Counsellor is on staff to advise students on the choice of careers.
Evaluation
Grade point averages are not used. Instead, marks in individual subjects are reported by means of percentages and in forms 1-5 the student's rank in each subject is reported.
Activities
The student population is divided into four houses for competitive academic and sporting events called "inter-house". The four Houses are "A" Armstrong- blue; "B" Deighton-red; "C" Collymore- green and "D" Dalton- yellow.The houses have strong traditions as relatives of past students are normally allocated to the same house their brothers, sisters, fathers or mothers were in.
Within the school grounds there are playing facilities for include cricket, football, lawn-tennis, table-tennis, volleyball, netball, basketball, hockey, rugby, track and field and swimming. Competitive fixtures are arranged with local club teams as well as other teams.
Strong emphasis is placed on sports and the school has produced athletes who have represented the country at the national, regional and international levels. 2000 Olympics 100 m bronze medalist Obadele Thompson and 1998 Commonwealth Games and then 400 m hurdles champion Andrea Blackett are alumni of the school.
The school has won national school titles in sports that include cricket, football, volleyball, hockey, track and field, swimming, netball, rugby and tennis.
Music plays an important role in the life of the school. The Harrison College ensemble has given public performances at home and overseas.
The school has societies and clubs - the Computer and Information Technology Club, Chess Club, Photographic Club, Science Club, Key Club, Environmental Club, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Debating Society, Inter-School Christian Fellowship, an active Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and a table tennis club. There is a P.T.A and Alumni Association.
The #1 company of the Barbados Cadet Corps formerly consisting of students from Harrison College and its sister school Queen's College (now the #21 company) was the first company formed at the inception of the Corps over 100 years ago.
Uniform
- Wearing uniform is compulsory at Harrison College. Junior boys wear khaki shorts and shirts with epaulettes in the school colours of maroon and gold. They also wear khaki knee high socks with brown laced dress shoes.
- Junior girls wear a mustard dress with a belt in the school colours (maroon and gold), white ankle high socks also with brown laced dress shoes.
- Senior boys are required to wear white buttoned down, short sleeved shirts and grey slacks and senior girls wear white buttoned down short sleeve shirts and grey A-Line skirts. Seniors may wear either epaulettes or a school tie in the school colours of maroon and gold. Shoes for seniors are black laced dress shoes. Males must wear dark coloured socks, females white ankle high socks.
- On special occasions, navy blue blazers bearing the school crest and motto "In Deo Fides" (Trust in God) may be worn by the senior school students.
- Additionally, there are two ties that can be acquired by the students. Students earn these ties for athletic achievement (called Colours) and one for making a substantial contribution to a club (extracurricular activity).
Notable alumni
- Sir Grantley Herbert Adams - former Premier and Prime Minister of West Indies Federation
- John Michael Geoffrey Manningham Adams - former Prime Minister
- Owen Arthur - former Prime Minister
- Errol Walton Barrow - former Premier and first Prime Minister of Barbados, decorated WWII RAF Flying Officer
- Alfred Pakenham Berkeley - former Bishop of Barbados
- Andrea Blackett - athlete, Commonwealth Games gold medalist
- Dr Henry Edmund Gaskin Boyle (1875-1941), British anaesthetist, inventor of the Boyle's Machine
- Ian Bradshaw - cricketer
- Nicholas Brancker - musician and producer
- Robin Bynoe - Test cricketer
- Rupert "Rupee" Clarke - entertainer
- Dr Hugh Gordon Cummings - former Premier
- Dr Richard Drayton - historian, Rhodes Professor of Imperial History, Kings College London
- Alan Emtage - computer scientist
- Dr Abel Hendy Jones Greenidge - Writer and lecturer Ancient History, Balliol, Brasenose and Hertford Colleges, Oxford
- Charles Wilton Wood Greenidge - former Judge of Court Appeal Barbados, Solicitor General and Attorney General Trinidad, Chief Justice of British Honduras and Solicitor General of Nigeria
- Mark Peter Gajadhar - Architect, President of the Barbados Institute of Architects 2005 - 2007
- Adrian Griffith - former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman
- Jason Haynes - Barbados Senior Cricket Captain, 2008
- David Holford - Test cricketer
- Anthony Howard - Barbados and West Indies test cricketer, and retired Director of Cricket of West Indies Cricket
- Sir Clifford Husbands - former Governor-General
- Shontelle Layne - singer, songwriter
- Timothy Maynard- Order Processor- Thomson Terminals Ltd.
- Adrian A. McLean - 1993 NAACP Editor's Award recipient. Walter Kaitz Fellow
- George Moe - former Attorney General of Barbados and Chief Justice of Belize
- Andrew Phillips - leader of Microsoft's bio-computing group
- Carlie Pipe - long-distance runner and national record holder in the half marathon
- Lloyd Erskine Sandiford - former Prime Minister
- Sir Arleigh Winston Scott - former Governor-General and first native Barbadian to hold that office
- M. P. Shiel - novelist
- Cammie Smith - Test cricketer
- Sir Hugh Springer - former Governor-General
- Sir Harold Bernard St. John - former Prime Minister
- Obadele Thompson - Track and field athlete, Olympic bronze medalist
- Sir Clyde Walcott - Test cricketer
- Sir Deighton Lisle Ward - former Governor-General
- Sir Pelham Warner "Plum Warner" - the Grand Old Man of English cricket
- Henry Wilcoxon - actor
- Albert Williams - former Headmaster of Harrison College, known as 'Tank' Williams for his exploits on the football field.
- Sir Denys Williams - former Chief Justice of Barbados
- Andre Woodvine - jazz saxophonist
- Shazzan Holder
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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