On Friday, January 8, the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS) National CXC Awards ceremony was held at deCarteret College in Mandeville, Manchester.Bridge Over Troubled Water and followed it up with a much appreciated encore performance of Many Rivers To Cross. The boys’ amazing performance prompted the Rev. Ronald Thwaites to exclaim, “Knox College sell off!” And to laughs and applause he continued, joined by others, “Up, up, up!”

Those who had made the trip from near and far were not made to wait long as the 2:30 pm ceremony began promptly. The chairwoman, Heather Murray (principal of Hampton School) was involved and cheerful, ensuring the crowd’s attention.

A colourfully clad and inspiring Glenmuir High School choir delivered a medley of encouraging songs. The Hampton School’s choir entertained the audience with an original piece about the (mostly comical) hardships of a Jamaican man. Glenmuir, however, was followed by a trio of second form male students from Knox College who delivered

Students who received the highest number of passes of CSEC subjects from each high school in the country were awarded, as well as students who placed first, second and third across the island in the 2015 CSEC and CAPE examinations.

While congratulating the awardees the Minister of Education encouraged them to give back, saying, “You are the creme of the crop but spare a thought for those who only leave school with a pretty picture and a school-leaving certificate.” The common, overarching message in his address was that education ought not to be just for the ‘favoured’ but for everyone.

Hearty congratulations are in order for those awardees as well as those who placed within the Top 10 in their various subjects.

Congratulations to Campion College on the retention of their title as the top school in both CSEC and CAPE.