There are five reasons for KC's success:
• the type of education given, in which the aim is Christian character
• the dedicated service of the teaching staff
• the fact that KC is an embodiment of the Jamaican spirit
• the continuity of policy, and
• the loyalty and devotion of the boys, particularly those who have piloted the Old Boys' Association.

So said the Lord Bishop of Jamaica in 1965. Indeed, so it was then, and so it is today.
But what is that success of which is spoken? Let us reflect on some of the accomplishments that KC had during the period 1950 to 1965.

Teaching Staff.

From 1950 to 1965, the college enjoyed phenomenal growth in its teaching staff: the number of full-time teachers increased from 25 to 64. It was certainly quite an accomplishment for that period and time.

The period also saw Mr. Douglas Forrest assuming the post of headmaster from the Rt. Rev. Percival Gibson in 1956. By 1965 Mr. Forrest had served KC for an astounding 39 years, and Mr. E. B. MacDonald had served 22 years. I recall Mr. MacDonald as the master who taught me mathematics in 1963, my first year at KC. I was often awestruck by his skill and intellect.

It goes without saying that the KC teaching staff was a highly committed and dedicated team. In fact, certain members of staff who had left for advanced studies promptly returned when they had completed their studies. These included such notables as Mr. Forrest who had left to study in France in 1951, and others such as Mr. Bailey, Miss Byfield and Mr. Cargill. It was that kind of commitment and dedication that contributed so much to KC's early success.

Scholarship.

It was said in 1965 that no other school in Jamaica had accomplished what KC had accomplished in its first 40 years of existence. Indeed, the students had won every kind of major scholarship.

Here, for reference, is a listing of some of the majors scholarships won from 1950 - 1965:

•1950
- Barry Reckford --The Issa Scholarship
- Norman Rae - The Jamaica Scholarship

•1952
- Hugh Moss-Solomon - UCWI Scholarship
- Derek Kirkpatrick - The Jamaica Scholarship

•1954
- Donald Jones - The Jamaica Scholarship
- Fitzroy Smith - Jamaica Centenary Scholarship

•1956
- Edward Clarke - The Jamaica Scholarship
- Gilbert Robertson - Scholarship to Edinburgh University
- Algernon Rowe - Scholarship to New Zealand
- Arnaldo Ventura and Raymond Gordon - UCWI Scholarships
- Carl Campbell and Lloyd Coke - UCWI Scholarships

•1957
- Lloyd Demetrius - The Jamaica Scholarship
- KC awarded the Vendreyes Shield for Historical Research

•1958
- Desmond Price, Peter Maxwell and Rainford Daley - UCWI Scholarships

•1959
- Basil Green and Glen Miller - Government Exhibitions to the UCWI
- Horace Patterson and Keith Amiel - Government Exhibitions to the UCWI
- Pancho Ascencio - Government Scholarship tenable overseas
- Roy Bromfiled - Government Scholarship tenable overseas
- Timothy Jones - Government Scholarship tenable overseas
- Tony Mair - Government Scholarship tenable overseas
- John Meikle - Government Scholarship tenable overseas
- Mabricio Ventura - Track Scholarship

•1960
- Johnathan Earl and Frank Subaran - Engineering Scholarships
- M. Coke, Daniel Chin and Carl Francis - Government Scholarships
- KC's choir received an award for being the best boys choir

•1961
- Arthur Chung - The Jamaica Scholarship
- Douglas Morais - Engineering Scholarship
- Douglas Folkes - The Sir Kenneth Blackburn Scholarship
- Noel Lyons - The Jamaica Agricultural Scholarship
- Winston Morrison and Winston Tinglin - Teachers' Scholarships
- Arthur Gunter and Donald Lee - Government Exhibitions to the UCWI
- Horace Banbury and O. Edwards - Bursaries to the UWI
- K. Grier and P. Robinson - Bursaries to the UWI
- E. Walker and A. McFayden - Bursaries to the UWI

•1962
- Peter Mills - Track Scholarship
- Paul Nash - Swimming Scholarship
- Gerald Groves - The Jamaica Independence Scholarship (First winner)

•1963
- Trevor Ratray and Karl Steer - Medical Scholarships, UWI
- McDowell Allen and Ken Cole - Engineering Scholarships
- Victor Chang - English Scholarship
- Ray Harvey - Track Scholarship, University of Nebraska
- Delano Harrison - The Jamaica Independence Scholarship

•1964
- Paul Robinson - The Jamaica Centenary Scholarship
- Basil Anderson - Agricultural Scholarship to Israel
- Robert Wan - The Carib Cement Scholarship
- Bevan Francis - Engineering Scholarship
- Trevor Fitz-Henley - Canadian Scholarship
- Alex McDonald and Clive Laidley - Track Scholarships, Cornell University
- Karl Strachan and Milton Kelly - Bursaries to the UWI
- Milton Aitken and Errol Beecher - Bursaries to the UWI
- KC won the most awards in the Schools' Drama Festival

•1965
- Clive Nicholson - The Jamaica Independence Scholarship
- Dennis Minott and Trevor Ricketts - Engineering Scholarships
- Glen Walcott and Timothy Scarlett - Engineering Scholarships
- Carl Blackwood - Engineering Scholarship
- Franklyn McDonald - Geology Scholarship
- Lennox Miller, Tony Keyes and Rupert Hoillette - Track Scholarships

School Buildings

•1947 - The Chapel of St. Augustine: Although the chapel was established and hallowed three years earlier than the first year covered in this article, I cannot resist mentioning it, simply because of its central importance to the school, and because it was such a magnificent piece of architecture. I can still remember our daily worship in the chapel: one period of worship first thing every morning, except for Wednesdays when we would worship for two periods. And the KC Boys Choir, undoubtedly the best in the Caribbean, could be heard in glorious harmony both inside the chapel and outside her walls, even on North Street. What a way to begin the day!

•1951 - The Pavilion was destroyed by hurricane Charlie.

•1954 - New Pavilion opened by the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Colville Deverell, CVO, OBE.

•1957 - A new woodwork shop and a canteen officially opened by the Hon. John Stow on July 12.

•1960 - Roman Catholic Chancery premises on North Street purchased to facilitate expansion.

•1962 - Three-storey Physics, Biology and Chemistry labs officially opened by Lady Gunter.

•1964 - Melbourne Park was acquired to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding school. Official opening: April, 1964. "And it came to pass that the house of KC was divided, and the babes and suckling were sojourning in the land called Melbourne, but the King of the Woods and the Elders and the multitude abode in the land of Clovelly." -- Bernard Channer

Sports

KC's accomplishments in the field of sports is nothing short of spectacular. I say that being fully aware of the mark that KC has set in many disciplines. In essence, I rather doubt that Jamaica will ever again see a repeat of the situation where one school so totally dominate the major areas of sports as KC did in 1964 and 1965. Let me not get carried away, however; let's examine the records from 1950 - 1965.

•1950
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Sunlight Cup (Cricket) Champions
- Manning Cup (Soccer) Champions

•1951
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Sunlight Cup Champions
- Manning Cup Champions

•1952
- Sunlight Cup Champions
- Manning Cup and Oliver Shield (Soccer) Champions
- Second in Interscholastic Championships (lost by only 1 « points).

•1953
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Sunlight Cup Champions
- Minor Cup (Cricket) Champions

•1954
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Sunlight Cup Champions

•1955
- Alexander Cup (Tennis) Champions
- Sunlight Cup Champions
- Jamaica Mutual Shield (Tennis) Champions

•1957
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Manning Cup and Oliver Shield Champions

•1958
- Manning Cup Champions
- Alexander Cup Champions
- Jamaica Mutual Shield Champions

•1959
- Jamaica Mutual Shield Champions

•1961
- Junior League Basketball Champions

•1962
- Interscholastic Track Champions (Record number of points)
- Sunlight Cup and Spaulding Cup (cricket) Champions
- Pupil Richard Russell - All Jamaica Tennis Champion, 16 years old.

•1963
- Interscholastic Track Champions (1st school ever to exceed 100 points)
- Walker Cup Champions (Soccer)

•1964
- Interscholastic Track Champions
- Sunlight Cup Champions
- Penn Relay Champions (440 yards relay)
- Roper (Soccer), Manning and Walker Cups and Oliver Shield Champions
- Undefeated in schoolboy soccer

•1965
- Interscholastic Track Champions (100-point barrier broken again.)
- Penn Relay Champions (400- and 1500-metres relays)
- Roper, Manning and Walker Cups and Oliver Shield Champions
- Undefeated in soccer for the second year straight
- Second in Sunlight Cup
- Hockey introduced by Mr. Parchment

Closing Thoughts

It's been many years since I left KC, but the memories, all pleasant, still endure. Things were still going great in 1968 when I left. Will someone accept the challenge to bring us up-to-date on some of the more recent happenings?

~ Derrick R. Wright, KC: 1963 - 1968

Source: Kingston College School Magazine, 1965

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