Fact Book

Interesting Facts About Campion College


General Facts

1. Founded January 5, 1960 by Samuel Emmanuel Carter, S.J.

2. Named after Patron Saint Edmund Campion

3. Originally only admitted male students

4. Became co-educational in 1976

5. A Jesuit high school located in Kingston, Jamaica

6. School Motto is ‘Fortes In Fide Et Opere’ which is Latin for ‘Strong in Faith and Work’

7. School Colours are red and white

8. The School Shield represents learning and knowledge, victory, Jamaica, and ambition to go forward

9. Current principal: Dr. Lavare Henry

Academic Achievements

1. One of the leading academic high schools in Jamaica

2. Referred to as a “First Choice” school because for the past 30 years, students assigned to the institution represent the top 3% of the cohort

3. Has received recognition for being the top in the Caribbean region in various subject areas for both Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE)

4. Had more students placed in the top ten performers listing for CSEC and CAPE in each subject than any other school in the Caribbean in 2010

5. Approximately 98% of graduates matriculate to 4-year colleges or universities

School Highlights

With only 105 first form students and a faculty of four Jesuit Fathers, Campion College opened its doors on January 5, 1960, and the first lessons were given that day in a pavilion and in classrooms borrowed from Campion Hall Preparatory School.

Campion Hall Prep had been founded in January 1940 when Rt. Reverend Thomas A. Emmet, S.J., D.D., was Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica, and V. Reverend Thomas J. Feeney, S.J., was Superior. It began on the premises of St. George’s College but moved to Roslyn Hall (now known as Campion Hall) at 115 Old Hope Road on January 6, 1942.

To make room for the growing needs of Campion College, the prep school graduated its last class in December 1962, just as 22 years earlier it had taken in its first students to supply the needs of St. George’s College.

In just over 50 years, Campion has become the premier high school in the island with over 1,400 students. Some of the highlights in the history of the school include:

1. The addition of a 6th form programme in 1967

2. The transition from a private school to a grant-aided, coeducational public school in 1976

3. The school’s outstanding academic record, which has resulted in its awards for Top CSEC & CAPE School based on its examination results over several years

4. The numerous national and international awards and scholarships its graduates have received, including 14 Rhodes Scholarships

True to its Jesuit identity, the school’s mission is to create “men and women for others” by forming graduates who are “intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving, and committed to justice.”

This co-curricular programme includes some 40 clubs and 15 sports and features service clubs, such as:

1. Interact and Key Club

2. Ministry Outreach (visits to children and senior homes weekly)

3. Champions Homework Club, where Campion students tutor children from the inner-city community of nearby Chamber’s Lane

Historical Moments in Pictures

Campion Hall 1943 Campion Hall (1943)
Open Day (70s) Open Day (70s)
Swim Team (80s) Swim Team (80s)
Students Studying (80s) Students Studying (80s)

CAMPION & THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

Not only did the Society establish the school, but its Jesuit Fathers also served as members of staff, encouraging willing young minds in all aspects of learning, and laying foundations in religion, the arts, and science.

Jesuits who have served at Campion College over the years include:

1. Archbishop Samuel Carter (First Headmaster, 1960-1964)

2. Fr. William Raftery

3. Fr. John Dorsey

4. Fr. Farrell

5. Fr. Ashe

6. Fr. Coleman

7. Fr. Ruddy

8. Fr. Delaney

9. Fr. Cowley

Today, Fr. Joseph MacWade, Fr. Con Mulvihill, and the Chairman of the School Board, Fr. Peter McIsaac, continue the tradition of Jesuit service to the school.

The Campion College Shield

The Campion College Shield has a red field on it and a white cross within a white border. In the quarters thus formed, are four charges:

1. An Open Book – representing learning and knowledge, including that of St. Edmund Campion.

2. A Palm Branch – symbol of victory, especially the victory after martyrdom.

3. A Pineapple – symbol of Jamaica, which is found on Jamaica’s Coat of Arms and royal standard, on the currency, and on the Coat of Arms of the Archbishop.

4. A Campion Flower – the Campion flower is pink with a red or yellow center, and it represents Campion College; it is always drawn at a 45-degree angle to signify ‘charge’ or ‘go forward’.

Encircling the base, a scroll of the field, with the device of the second.

School Motto

The Motto of the school is Fortes in Fide et Opere, which is the Latin translation for ‘Strong in Faith and Work’. It is taken basically from the Mass of Bl. Edmund Campion. The oration (collect) reads in part: “come we beseech thee to the aid of our frailty: that FIRM IN FAITH we may be able…” and the text is taken from 1 Peter 5:9, “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him STEADFAST IN FAITH”.

To avoid the alliteration of the f’s and to balance off faith and its companion works (cf. Gal 5:6 and James 2:14-26) the phrase ET OPERE has been added.

Campion College Song

Hail, Campion hail!
Faith and courage will prevail
Truth, integrity, honour, liberty,
These shall never ever fail.

Shine, Campion shine!
May you ever be a sign
That within our land
We bring heart and hand,
Reaching out in love and unity.

Rise, Campion rise!
Raise your banner to the skies.
With your red and white
Leading to the height
Ever onward, upward, rise.

Sing, Campion sing!
To our island may you bring
Champions pure and bold,
Like our Saint of old,
Brave and loyal,
Hail, O Campion hail!


Written By:
Sister Mary Christine, O.S.M.
Former Principal of Sts. Peter & Paul High School for Girls & Vice-Principal of Campion College.

Music from:
Edward Elgar
“Pomp and Circumstance March”


Campion College Achievements

Scholarships University Placement Examinations Caribbean Recognition

Since its inception only 50 years ago, Campion’s students have been awarded numerous national and international scholarships including, the Jamaican Government Scholarships, UWI Scholarships and the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. Listed here are only a few of our scholars:

Jamaica Rhodes Scholars 1980-2011

    1. 1980 – Robert Hew

    2. 1981 – John Bacquie

    3. 1982 – Yolande Brown

    4. 1984 – Gregory Provan

    5. 2000 – David Dodman

    6. 2003 – Simon Morrison

    7. 2004 – Keon West

    8. 2005 – Ramon Arscott

    9. 2006 – Nadiya Figueroa

    10. 2007 – Seshauna Wheatle

    11. 2008 – Michael Waul

    12. 2009 – Alicia Johns

    13. 2010 – David Walcott

    14. 2010 – Luke Foster (Caribbean Rhodes)


Jamaica Scholars 2006-2011

    1. 2006 – Jamaica Independence (Open)—Ankita Kulkarni

    2. 2006 – Jamaica Independence (Male)—Robert French

    3. 2007 – Jamaica Independence (Open)—Orville Morgan

    4. 2007 – Jamaica Adult Suffrage (Open)—Nhin Nhin Oo

    5. 2008 – Jamaica Independence (Male)—Andrew McKain

    6. 2008 – Jamaica Adult Suffrage (Open)—Suchelis Rhodd

    7. 2008 – Jamaica Centenary (Male)—Leighton Samuels

    8. 2009 – Jamaica Female—Radhe Kanneganti

    9. 2010 – Jamaica Male—Andre Bascoe

    10. 2011 – Jamaica Female—Brittany Bromfield

    11. 2011 – Jamaica Independence (Open)—Melissa Munroe


Click here to see more of our scholarship winners

98% of Campion College graduates matriculate to 4-year colleges or universities. 20-35% of our students choose to pursue tertiary level studies in the United Kingdom, Canada, or the United States, and many have excelled at the most highly rated universities, including:

Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Columbia, and Vassar in the US, as well as Oxford in the UK and McGill in Canada.

On average, Campion students attain a score of 1800 or above on the SAT Reasoning Test. In the sciences and at both levels of the Mathematics SAT Subject Tests, our students’ scores exceed 650.

Campion’s performance in the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations has been phenomenal. This has not happened by chance but as a result of the hard work of its teachers, who through careful analysis of the results each year, identify areas of weakness and develop strategies at each departmental level to address the weaknesses identified.

For example, in 2009, the percentage pass rate ranged between 95.7% and 100%, with subjects like Information Technology achieving a 93.7% pass rate, Mathematics at 88.2%, and English Language at 87.2%.

A number of students have received recognition from the Caribbean Examinations Council for being top in the Caribbean region in various subjects, including:

Raphael Sheckleford (2007) – Computer Science, Tesha Chai (2008) – Visual Arts, Kenny Huang (2009) – Information Technology, Sharlayne Waller (2010) – Natural Sciences, and Andre Bascoe (2010) – Modern Languages.

Based on 2010 CSEC and CAPE results, Campion had the highest number of top ten performers across the Caribbean, with:

CSEC: 1st – Campion College with 20 top performers

CAPE: 1st – Campion College with 48 top performers

These exceptional results have cemented Campion College as a top institution in the region.

Sports Highlights 2011

Although best known for its outstanding academic performance, Campion College has also excelled in various sports and is especially proud of its alumni who have represented Jamaica at the Olympics: Janelle Atkinson, Sion Brinn, Andrew Gooding, Andrew Phillips, Gillian Russell, and Iona Wynter. Some of our recent sports titles include:

Badminton

    1. (2006, 2008) 2nd Place Under-15 All-Island Badminton Competition (Boys)

    2. (2005, 2007) Winners Under-15 Urban Competition (Boys)

Basketball

(2009) 3rd Place Under-16 All-Island Competition

Chess

(2005-11) National Champions

Cricket

    1. (1979) Under-14 Champions

    2. (1983) Colts Champions

    3. (1984-85) Under-14 Champions

    4. (1985) Colts & Under-14 Champions

    5. (1986) Colts Champions

    6. (1987) Under-14 & Sunlight Champions

    7. (1988) Colts, Under-14 & Sunlight Champions

    8. (1989) Tapping Knockout & Colts Champions

    9. (1990) Colts & All-Island Colts Champions

    10. (1991) Zone A Champions

    11. (1993) Colts Champions

    12. (2009) ISSA/Grace Shield “A” League Under-19 Champions

Netball

(2011) Winner Yvonne Keane Dawes Rally Under-14

Rugby

(2011) Winner Rugby League Association Surrey Under-19 Competition

Swimming

    1. (1983-7) YMCA Crimson Dawn Swim Relay Champions (Boys & Girls)

    2. (2001-5) YMCA Crimson Dawn Swim Relay Champions (Boys)

    3. (2001-8) Mayberry Swim Champs (Boys)

    4. (2001-8) ISSA Swim Champs (Boys)

    5. (2009) 2nd Place ISSA High Schools & Universities Swim Meet (Boys)

    6. (2009) 3rd Place ISSA High Schools & Universities Swim Meet (Girls)

    7. (2010) 2nd Place Mayberry High Schools & Universities Swim Meet (Boys)

    8. (2010) Winners Mayberry High Schools & Universities Swim Meet (Girls)

    9. (2010) 2nd Place ISSA Swimming Champs (Boys & Girls)

    10. (2011) 2nd Place ISSA Swimming Champs (Boys)

    11. (2011) Winners ISSA Swimming Champs (Girls)

Table Tennis

    1. (2010) Urban & National Under-16 Champions (Boys)

    2. (2010) Urban & National Under-16 Champions (Girls)

    3. (2011) Urban Under-16 Champions (Boys)

    4. (2011) Urban Under-19 Champions (Girls)

Tennis

    1. (1995-6, 1999, 2001, 2003-6) Bishop Gibson Under-14 Champions

    2. (1997, 2001, 2004) Richard Russell Under-16 Champions

    3. (2009) Urban Division Under-19 Champions (Boys)

    4. (2009) LIME All-Island National Under-19 Champions (Boys)

    5. (2010) Urban Division Under-19 Champions (Boys)

    6. (2010) 2nd Place Under-19 LIME All-Island National Championships (Boys)

    7. (2011) Winners Mayberry Under-14 All-Island National Championships (Boys)

    8. (2011) 2nd Place Mayberry Under-19 All-Island National Championships (Boys)

Track & Field

    1. (2003) Boys 800m (Record Time) – Theon O’Connor

    2. (2003-08) Boys 800m title – Theon O’Connor

    3. (2010) Triple Jump Winner & 3rd Place Long Jump Under-20 at Champs (Boys) – Damon McLean

    4. (2010) 2nd Place Class 4 High Jump at Champs (Girls) – Donieke Daniels

    5. (2010) Silver Medal in Triple Jump at Penn Relays – Damon McLean

Volleyball

(1996-7) All Schools Champions

Water Polo

    1. (1990-1) KFC Inter-Schools Water Polo Competition Champions (Girls)

    2. (1990-1) Inter-Schools Water Polo League Competition Champions (Under-19 Boys)

    3. (2009-11) All Island ASAJ High School Water Polo Champions (Boys)


Apart from the ISSA-sponsored sports competitions, Campionites have racked up recent successes in many other areas including show jumping (Justin Vaz), golf (Caribbean Junior Golf Champion Jonathan Newnham), squash (national and regional contenders Jake, Joshua and Mary Mahfood), taekwondo (silver medalist in the US Open 15-17 Competition Tashauna Grannum), and go-karting (Thomas Issa).

Director of Sports: Mr. Phillpotts-Brown

Campion Olympians

Campion is very proud of our six Olympians: Janelle Atkinson, Sion Brinn, Andrew Gooding, Andrew Phillips, Gillian Russell, and Iona Wynter. Here are a few of their profiles:

Janelle Atkinson - Olympic Swimmer
Janelle Atkinson
Set 2 national records at the 2000 Summer Olympics, placing 4th in the 400m freestyle finals and 4th in the 800m freestyle heats. She was ranked 8th among female swimmers in the world in 2000. Her previous achievements include a gold medal in the 400m free at the US Open in 1998, silver and bronze medals at the 1999 US Open, and 3 silver medals at the 1999 Pan American Games.
Sion Brinn - Olympic Swimmer
Sion Brinn
Represented Jamaica at the 1996 Olympics. Won multiple gold and silver medals at the US Open, FINA World Cup, and British Nationals. Also represented Great Britain in swimming after 1998.
Gillian Russell - Olympic Runner
Gillian Russell
Earned a spot in the 100m hurdles event in the 1996 Olympics. Achievements include medals at the US Open and Pan American Games.
Andrew Gooding - Olympic Sailor
Andrew Gooding
Along with Sean Nunes, represented Jamaica in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney in the Men’s 470 fleet event in Sailing. They placed 22nd in Race 1 and 25th in Race 2.
Iona Wynter-Parks - Olympic Triathlon Athlete
Iona Wynter-Parks
Competed in the Women's Triathlon at the Olympics, which includes a 1500m swim, 40km bicycle ride, and 10km run. Iona placed 36th in swimming, 27th in the bike ride, and 37th in the run.

The Future of Campion College

Aerial View of Site

The future of Campion looks bright indeed with its phenomenal academic results, outstanding record in citizenship and community outreach, and steady progress in sports achievements. The school's board and administration are committed to creating a sustainable financial base for Campion to ensure its continued growth and excellence. Click to learn more

A former principal notes, "Government subvention funds provide but a skeletal academic programme, very little for a co-curricular and chaplaincy programme, and absolutely nothing for the development of our plant and facilities or for the welfare of our increasing group of needy students."

Alumni, parents, and the entire school community are encouraged to get involved to ensure that Campion continues to soar. Every contribution matters, and your participation is vital. Each donation, combined with others, will make a difference to our students and help secure Campion's future.

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