Lennon High School celebrates its 45th anniversary
Published:Wednesday | October 28, 2015 | 8:51 AMHorace Fisher
MOCHO, Clarendon:
In 1969, Mocho Junior Secondary School opened its doors open to 500 students and 27 staff members. Forty-five years later and several name changes, Lennon High School has emerged as one of Jamaica's finest educational institutions, providing sound education for thousands of men and women of honour.
The learning institution, which is located in the cool, serene hills of the Mocho Mountains, in marking the occasion of the milestone, paid tribute to its founder, Augustus Larkland Lennon, member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, justice of the peace, and Archdeacon Emeritus of Lagos.
Lennon, an Anglican missionary to Africa, returned to the island as a state commissioner for relief following the disastrous 1951 Hurricane Charlie. After serving with relief efforts for the hurricane, he got elected to the Federal Parliament in the then West Indies Federation, and later bequeathed 10 acres of his 46-acre property for the establishment of a high school and college in Mocho.
However, while the Anglican missionary, visionary and astute statesman, who passed away in 1965, didn't live to see his dream in actual reality, nevertheless, the institution he envisioned has blossomed into an outstanding learning centre, and today remains a manifestation of his infinite legacy, boasting a proud, illustrious alumni.
Incredible journey
"What a journey it has been for Lennon High! Since opening our doors in 1969 as the then Mocho Junior Secondary School, this institution has grown by leaps and bounds from a population of 500 students to well over 1,150 today. At inception, our staff complement stood at just 27. That, too, has expanded to 88 staff members," Dr Donald Johnson, the school's principal, said.
He added: "Over the years, the school has been upgraded from a junior secondary to a secondary, a comprehensive high before attaining its current status as a high school where our students know that they are among a privileged cadre to attend one of Clarendon's most sought-after high schools," Johnson asserted in his address at Monday's 45th anniversary and Founder's Day ceremony in Mocho, Clarendon.