Rock Primary celebrates high school goers, scholarship winners

The Rock Primary and Infant School in Clarendon held its graduation earlier this month with 26 students graduating and moving on to various high schools throughout the parish.

Principal Maschell Spencer relished the reading of the school’s report, as it was coloured with outstanding achievements, from academics to sports.

Spencer heaped praises on his all-female staff and awarded them plaques to show his appreciation.

Guest speaker Lawrence Garriques, a lecturer at the University of Technology (UTech), centred his address around his own humble beginnings in a rural St Catherine community.

“Look at me now,” he said. “I am even fluent in Spanish.”

His charge to the graduates was for them not to put any limits on what they can achieve.

The highlight of the evening was the awarding of the Teacher CC Brown Academic Scholarship, which is in its second year.

The scholarship is in honour of the memory of teacher Cephas Christopher Brown, who served as principal of the school from 1940 until his retirement in 1979.

The award is the brainchild of Leighton Blackstock, superintendent of police and chairman of the school’s past students association.

Simyke Simpson, the first recipient, was awarded last year with $50,000 and a plaque. She was given an additional $25,000 during this year’s graduation.

The 2024 winner, Jowayne Johnson, was awarded $75,000. He will be attending Denbigh High School come September.

Blackstock, in presenting the scholarship, implored the recipients to display good discipline wherever they go. He said the association would be monitoring their progress, as it is intended for them to be excellent ambassadors for the school, the association, their community and, ultimately, the country.

Blackstock is calling for other past students to join in the programne.