Geoffrey Brown:33 years as 'Captain' at Ocho Rios High

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

Ocho Rios, St Ann:GEOFFREY BROWN, affectionately called 'Captain' because of his links to the Cadet, could be described as an institution within an institution. The staunch disciplinarian spent over 33 years at Ocho Rios High School, witnessing its transition from a secondary institution - serving with five principals - leaving an indelible mark at the school when he departed two years ago.

Teachers and students alike would readily attest to Brown's significant contribution in the areas of mathematics, the Cadet force, sports and discipline at the institution.

In his earlier days, Brown was himself an athlete, specialising in the 400m. Later on, 12 years ago in fact, he along with other teachers formed the North Central Amateur Athletic Association (NCAAA) aimed at developing athletic talent in the region.

Brown is credited with helping to chart the careers of outstanding athletes such as James Beckford and Danny McFarlane, past students of Ocho Rios High, who have represented Jamaica at the Olympic Games.

Brown's distinguished career in education began in 1969 as a pre-trained teacher at Exchange All-Age School in St Ann. After just one term, he moved to Ocho Rios Primary where he spent two years before moving to Mico Teachers' College where he was trained.

"After college, I went to Somerton All-Age where I did my internship then to Muschett Secondary, where I spent a year, then to SDC (Social Development Commission) on secondment to work as a sports officer in Moneague, St Ann, for one year," Brown recalled.

At Ocho Rios Primary in 1969, Brown had the privilege of "having the first set of grade-seven students leave to attend (the newly opened) Ocho Rios Secondary School. They left my class at grade six and entered Ocho Rios Secondary just as it opened in 1969".

Real journey begins

Six years later, in 1975, the real journey began, as Brown went to Ocho Rios Secondary and made his sterling contribution. He remained there until 2009.

Said Brown: "When I went there, I taught science, mathematics and PE (physical education), but after about three years, I took over as head of the PE department. There I had the privilege of seeing the school grow from one stage to the other.

"I, along with other teachers, had the chance of seeing the school moving into the ISSA (Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association) competitions where we made our mark from day one."

In the daCosta Cup football competition, Ocho Rios High won their zone and advanced to the inter-zone round. In Headley Cup cricket, the school advanced to the semi-finals where they lost to Holmwood. In their first year at Boys Champs, two athletes gained points.

"Guys like James Beckford, Jeffrey Hunter, Curtis Grier were top students who made a mark. They made an impression and it was from there that everybody started to look into the team and started wanting to buy the top athletes. But they decided they would not go," related Brown.

Later on, Danny McFarlane attended the school and like many of the other track and field athletes before him, started as a footballer, representing the school in the daCosta Cup.

Brown joined the Cadets 20 years ago and is currently the company commander with Delta Company which comprises the Ocho Rios, Ferncourt and York Castle high schools.

As a mathematics teacher, he achieved success using his own formula.

He explained: "I was one of those teachers who thought that a one-to-one, hands-on teaching would help you to get over mathematics because some people are afraid of the subject. But, in order to do mathematics, you have to do a lot of repetition. If you give them a lot of tests and let them get over that phobia, you'll get them to perform. So I was able to get a lot of students to do well in mathematics."

As a disciplinarian, Brown was feared by more than just students.

"Teachers in my department, some of them seemed as if they feared me. I didn't want anybody to fear me. But what I stand for ... and that is discipline," Brown explained. "Because of the Cadet and military background, there are certain forms of discipline that should be maintained and if you don't maintain that type of discipline, you're going to have a problem wherever you are," he added.

Most satisfying moment

Brown's most satisfying moments came in track and field in the form of Rohan Codlin.

"He did excellently at Boys' Champs. In the 200m Class-Two semi-finals, he came second to a St Jago student. The semi was just as the final. He came to me the night before and said 'Mr Brown, a cyaan sleep. You have the experience in track and field, what should I do?'

"I said to him, 'Let them (have to) catch you. Don't stay in the back.' That's what he did in the finals and they actually just caught him by a neck. That was one of my highlights," Brown reminisced.

"And when I had the chance of taking our first track and field team to Milo Classics and came back with medals, that would be another great moment."

His most unforgettable would have been the first time Ocho Rios high entered Boys and Girls Champs

"I won't forget that because it's a first. We took about 10 boys and three girls," Brown recalled.