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HISTORY OF ST ANDREW TECHNICAL HIGH

April 10, 1961 marked the birth of St. Andrew Technical High School. The idea to establish a technical high school in the poor western region of Kingston is accredited to one of Jamaica's most outstanding, distinguished and dedicated sons; the Most Honourable Sir Florizel Glasspole O.D., C.D. former Govenor General of Jamaica.

He selected the site - fifteen acres of land located at 64 Spanish Town Road and laid the foundation for its development. In his capacity as Minister of Education which he then had, he sought and got financial assistance from overseas to construct the first buildings.

The Early Years
The school started as a co-educational institution with a student population of one hundred and twenty and an academic staff of eight. Mr E.G. Roper acted as Principal and was succeeded by Mr. Austin John Holmes in September 1961. There was only one block of classrooms together with Engineering and Building Workshop and unequipped Home Economics and Science Laboratories.

The honour of seeing the school through its formative years goes to Mr. Holmes. He was not only responsible for the physical layout of the grounds but also for the model of the school's organisational structure. His engineering training benefited the fledgling school in that he made additions to the existing buildings, sometimes without the help of the Ministry of Education.

When Mr. Holmes left in 1968 the school's "teething pains" were over and the new principal Mr. R. Copeland found an excellent foundation on which to continue to build. He did not remain long however, and in September 1969 he was succeeded by S.W. Isaac-Henry.

The St. Andrew Trade Training Centre, Staths nearest neighbor was built in 1961 with funds provided by the United States of America as part of a co-operative programme in education. It was the largest and most equipped vocational institution in Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean.

The first Principal of the Trade Training Centre was Mr. Steadley Webster. The institution was geared to train young men in Building Construction, Plumbing, Electricity, Welding, Machine Shop, Auto Mechanics and Technical Drawing to enable them to find ready employment. The period of training was one year.

The Years of Expansion 1971-1986
In 1971, ten years after the birth of the school it was felt that a merger of the St. Andrew Technical High School and the Trade Training Centre could prove to be more economical and would broaden the scope for training. The amalgamation took place and both institutions came under one administration. The duration of the courses in the Trade Training Centre was extended from one to two years and the curriculum enriched with the introduction of Physical Education and Science. The student body rose to eight hundred and sixty.

Most of the credit for the concept of modern St. Andrew Technical goes to the late principal S.W. Isaac-Henry O.D., J.P., and a group of efficient teachers. In 1972 a Commercial Practice course was introduced in the Vocational Stream to enable girls who were older than average to be trained in business skills.

1974 saw the introduction of the Combined Trades Form - CT3. This form provides vocational stream students pursuing two year courses with an opportunity to do further studies for an additional year in Building and Mechanical Engineering Studies. Outstanding students in all trade groups are selected based on high academic performance. To date the form has been a model of success...

In 1977 an Advanced Level Programme was started with the introduction of a fifth year. The objective of this programme was to enable qualified students from Staths and neighboring schools to attempt two subjects at the Advanced Level in one year. This was moderately successful. Four years later the A-Level programme had to be terminated due to budgetary constraints.

In 1979 the school's sports programme was enriched with the introduction of rugby. In the same year the team won the Mandeville Seven-A- Side trophy and in 1980 the junior rugby team won the Pepsi trophy. The school has also excelled in basketball winning the Berger Paints Basketball Competition in 1979.

In 1981 a Catering and Food Services course was introduced in the Home Economics Department. A Basic Electonics Course came on stream in 1983 with emphasis on repairs and servicing. The school celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1986 and in the same year lost its first chairman of the Board Mr. Owen Alexander Roberts J.P. who contributed twenty-five years of unbroken and dedicated service to this institution.

The administration and teaching staff of STATHS have always sought to cater to the needs of all students entrusted to them. To this end in 1984 Computer Assisted Education and Competency Based Education were introduced and a Learning Centre established. The project was aimed at assisting students in remediation, continuation, review and enrichment.

The Modern Era
In 1987 STATHS won for the first time the prestigious Manning Cup Competition and Oliver Shield, coveted symbol of schoolboy football supremacy.

On September 12, 1988 Hurricane Gilbert struck: some buildings were damaged. With the hard work of the new Chairman Dennis Fletcher and the Principal S.W. Isaac-Henry, infra-structural repairs were completed within the year.

The school population had by this time increased and a second Vice Principal was needed. Mr. Conrad Brown, Head of the Building Department was appointed Vice Principal in charge of Industrial Education and Projects.

In 1988 the Ministry of Education Youth and Culture added two new courses to the curriculum, Electronics Servicing Technology and Entrepreneurship. A Baking Technology was introduced in 1989 with the aim of providing certified bakers for the industry. The Bakery started as a small laboratory to facilitate practical exercises for the students. Under the sponsorship of the Past Students Association Local Chapter, the Bakery expanded into a viable commercial venture employing staff and expanding its market and productive capacity.

The STATHS Junior Achievement Company, which was formed in 1985, was adjudged the top company among high schools in 1988 and was awarded the Seprod Trophy. In 1989 the school continued on this oath of excellence when the Home Economics Department won the ICD Group of Companies Home Electrix Home Management Competition.

The Carreras Group of Companies through its subsidiary the Jamaica Biscuit Company established a special relationship with the school in 1989 under the Ministry of Education's Adopt-A-School Programme. The school has benefited tremendously from this programme.

In July 1990 S.W. Isaac-Henry Principal for twenty-one years died. He was succeeded by Mrs. Carole Powell, the school's first female principal, who continued to build on the excellent foundation that had been laid. Mr. Conrad Brown the Vice Principal retired. Mr. Vincent Rhoden, Head of the Electrical Department was appointed Vice Principal of Industrial Educations and Projects.

In 1992 the Learning Centre was upgraded to a Computer Laboratory. Additional computers were acquired and students were now being trained in information technology.

In the 1990s the school continued to excel in academics, the arts and sports. In 1999, Evening School student Patrick Williams placed second in the world in the City and Guilds Electronics Examination. In 1994 the Drama Club won a gold medal in the JCDC Speech and Drama Festival. In 1995 the Athletics team won overall champions at the Jambisco Development Meet.

Mrs. Powell resigned in 1996 after giving over thirty years of dedicated service to STATHS. The mantle was passed on to the Reverend Ronald Walters. Reverend Walters headed the institution for two years. In September 1998, Mrs. Curline Christie was promoted to the position of Acting Principal. Mrs. Christie and the hardworking staff at the institution have ensured the continued growth and success of the school.

In 1997 the school was selected to benefit from the HEART/NTA Technical High Schools Development Project. Under this project the Library has been upgraded and provided with four computers through which staff and students have been able to access the Internet. The Home Economics Department and the Science and Computer Laboratories have also been upgraded. The Teacher of The Year Competition was also introduced as a part of the project. Mrs. Violet McCalla, Head of the Language Department was selected as Teacher of the Year for STATHS in 2000.

In 1998 through the hard work of teachers, present and past students a school bus was purchased.

The St Andrew Technical High School is now poised to surpass its great achievements of the past forty years. During the first four months of the twenty-first century the school has won the Technical High School Science and Technology Quiz Competition, the rugby team won the Corporate Area Under-19 Rugby League and the Spanish Club won several medals at the National Spanish Festival. Also worthy of mention, STATHS Basketball team was National Champion in 2001.

STATHS will continue to guide its students into becoming well-rounded individuals with a sense of personal, social and moral responsibility, empowered to make the transition into further education and employment.