Basil Jarrett | Those North Street boys

SO APRIL 16 is now National Kingston College Day. Wow! Between that and the big, unsightly purple truck that led last week’s big unsightly anniversary purple parade, I think I can speak for everyone who didn’t attend a school on North Street when I say, “We tiad fi see unnu face”.

Actually, I’m sure my colleagues who attended the other North Street school from across the road are equally “tiad”. And to make matters worse, I’m told that Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby last week handed them the keys to the city as part of their centennial celebration. I’ll be deadbolting my door tonight I can tell you that.

But don’t take me too seriously folks. As an old boy of that rival boys’ school from Old Hope Road, I am required by law to lob some grenades at KC even as I acknowledge and congratulate them in their moment.

All jokes aside though, what we witnessed last week was a rare sight in today’s Jamaica. Because for all the pageantry and purple fanfare, what really stood out to me was that Kingston College remains one of the last great hold-outs of Jamaican male excellence, at a time when our boys are being marginalised daily as not being bright enough or good enough. And that, my friends, is something worth celebrating, whether you wear blue and white, green and black, or maroon and gold, or hail from the other side of North Street.

A PURPLE BEACON IN A TIME OF TROUBLE

Let’s face it; it’s been a tough couple decades for Jamaican boys. They’re underperforming in schools, over-represented in drop-out statistics, and far more likely to become either perpetrators or victims of violent crime. Our boys are struggling emotionally, economically, and academically, while our girls are seemingly living their best lives. And yet, in the heart of downtown Kingston, KC remains a 100-year-old reminder that excellence among our young men is not just possible, it’s still thriving, still marching, still irritating with blaring horns and purple streamers.

Just last week, I wrote a column titled ‘The Boys Are Back’, highlighting the all-boys sweep of the UWI Math Olympiad’s senior category, and the all-boys showdown in the Schools’ Challenge Quiz finals between Jamaica College and Titchfield High. At a time when boys are often written off as a lost cause, these events reminded us that they’re not gone. They’re just not being seen and not being invested in heavily enough. And that’s why KC’s 100th anniversary shouldn’t be just a celebration of one school, but rather a national case study. It’s proof that when we commit resources, structure, mentorship, tradition, discipline, and belief into young Jamaican boys, they can really and truly soar.

KC: A DIFFERENT BREED

But just what makes KC different? Ask anyone and you’ll hear a hundred answers. From the school’s spiritual foundation to its legendary founder Bishop Percival Gibson, to that mythical thing they call “Fortis” spirit.

For me, however, what truly sets them apart is their Old Boys’ unwavering commitment to the school. Not just when they win trophies or when they pass exams. KC Old Boys will rise at dawn to defend their school if anyone so much as looks at it the wrong way. Ask Television Jamaica who learned the hard way when they tried to ban them from School Challenge Quiz a few years ago.

And they don’t just take on outsiders who threaten them, as demonstrated by the solidarity they showed decades ago to oust a principal who was accused of corruption and all sorts of other inappropriate behaviour. The brave truly never yield and will put aside year-group loyalties, if such loyalty ever threatens the institution.

That kind of investment, love and dedication to an institution must be nurtured and protected, especially among young men who don’t often find wholesome things in society to attach themselves to. It creates legacy, consistency and sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. More importantly, it creates young men who know they are seen, supported, and are expected to be great.

A FINAL WORD

Don’t get me wrong. KC is not perfect. That questionable choice of purple for a school colour for instance. But their model, rooted deeply in their origin of intentional and unapologetic commitment to building strong, educated black boys, is one that we should replicate. Because if our education system were a hospital, Jamaican boys would be in the emergency room. And while many institutions have flatlined in their efforts to reach them, Kingston College remains battling for life, with a massive team of doctors and surgeons fighting for each and every one – decked out in purple scrubs, of course. That fight deserves applause.

Yes, we must protect KC, but we must also scale that model and protect our other six boys schools. The fanfare last week should be a call to action for us to recommit ourselves to building and strengthening not just KC, but also Calabar, JC, Munro, Wolmer’s, Cornwall and even St George’s College who still maintains membership in this illustrious club, even though … Well, let me leave that one alone.

Let us fund their labs, sponsor their mentorship programmes, celebrate their achievements and show up for them more. Let us demand excellence from them, and not just on the track and the football field. There’s just too much at stake if we continue to let them flounder.

So to Kingston College, I say congratulations on 100 years of educating, elevating, and exalting Jamaican manhood. Your purple might not be my colour, or anyone else’s for that matter, but your example is one I hold in the highest esteem as a living, breathing reminder that the story of the Jamaican boy is not yet over.

Major Basil Jarrett is the director of communications at the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and crisis communications consultant. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com