ABOUT USAGEQUODAGISWolmer's Boys' School
ABOUT USAGEQUODAGISWolmer's Boys' School
OUR HISTORY
Founded in 1729 after the death of John Wolmer who left in his will £2,300 from his estate to start a "Free School" in his parish, Wolmer's started with an enrollment of 500 boys.
Wolmer's school has had several locations in the parish of Kingston. It began in the house of Samuel Turpin on land between Port Royal Street and Harbour Street, in 1736. Turpin had left in his will of 1734 to Wolmer's the annual rent of his house on that lot of land. The school was called ˜Wolmer's Free School at the time.
In 1742 the Trust bought six lots of land on Duke Street, from Samuel Clarke for £93. Two buildings were constructed for a classroom and lodging for the headmaster and boys on the lot. Mr. John Conron was paid £250 for construction. The school was moved from Harbour Street to the new location at upper Duke Street sometime about 1742.
When the headmaster Michael Mill died in 1755, the school was closed for two years, until 1757. The Governor of Jamaica, General Knowles, had the building leased to the government as a storage for public records. It was also used as a courthouse for the county of Surrey, so when classes resumed in 1757, the school was moved to rented premises at Parade and remained there until 1777.
In 1777, Wolmer's was moved to Church Street when the house of a Mr. Bullock was leased for the sum of £120 per annum, for three years. In 1783, it was bought for £900. The Duke Street property had been sold at a public auction for £800 in 1780.
More land was bought in 1794 to the north of the school for £250 and fenced in by a brick wall. In 1807, the two northernmost lots of land of the school property was sold to the city of Kingston for the construction of a Poor House. Wolmer's was briefly housed in the Poor House (1811), while extensive repairs were carried out, but the inmates objected. Between October 1811 and August 1812, Wolmer's occupied the Coke Chapel on East Parade while the school was enlarged. Rent of £85 was paid to Coke Chapel for the time the school was there.
When an earthquake struck Kingston on January 14, 1907, the school suffered major damage but was not destroyed. Minor repairs were carried out and Wolmer's continued at Church Street between 1907 and 1909. A decision was made to find a more suitable site however, as the school had outgrown that location. In 1908 the lands at Quebec Lodge was acquired to house the Boys' and Girls' Schools. Quebec Lodge was the site of the Jamaica Exhibition of 1891, located north of Race Course (later called George VI Memorial Park and now National Heroes Park) and is the present site of Wolmer's Boys' School and Wolmer's Girls' School. Wolmer's opened at its present site in January 1909.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
In 2019, we honour the bequest that gave rise to the Legacy of Excellence that is the Wolmer s schools. In the 290 years of existence, the Wolmer s institution has been responsible for the production of individuals who have made stellar contributions to the quality of the human journey.
Their footsteps have been followed in the porticos of medicine and the Arts; their expressions heard in the hallways of academia and Law; and their decisions felt in Boardrooms and the marketplace. They have walked with the lowly and with the great, and have etched their influence upon villages and communities, locally and abroad. Wherever they have trod, the seeds of excellence have been sown and a mighty harvest now abounds. Our Hall of Fame inductees are testament to this. We salute all those who served as Trustees and members of the Board of Management at different points throughout the history of the Wolmer s Schools.
Their guardianship of the high standards has been without compromise. These visionaries we owe a debt of gratitude. The realization of such sustained success would not have been possible without the yeoman s service of a cadre of stalwart administrators, educators and auxiliary staff members, who have over the years poured their hearts into the lives of the many young men and women who have been privileged to walk these hallowed halls. They gave of themselves tirelessly and sacrificed much in order that many now have life. These noble men and women we salute and pledge our protection of the gains that they have made. I will however hasten to add that the 290th anniversary presents the present generation with a moment to celebrate but even more poignantly, it presents a call to action. While it is true that Wolmer s has remained a household name upon the educational landscape, we cannot be content with what has been achieved.
At this point in our history, it is important that we only look back for forward strength. Excellent achievements in academics and extra-curricular activities must now be the launching pad into the paradigm of twenty-first century education. Our outlook, curriculum, instruction and infrastructure must be quickly modernized so that we can relevantly prepare our students to face the challenges and seize the opportunities brought about by the massive forces of globalization, changing demographics and technological advancements. Our task it is to produce a human being who has a resilient mentality; the ability to remain focused; a wide knowledge base; skills of critical analysis; out-of-the-circle thinking; and a collaborative disposition.
We dare not think we can facilitate the development of this twenty-first century learner in the same way we have done in the past. We have done well for 290 years; now, let a new era of the Wolmer s schools begin.
House Week - Overview
House Week is an initiative created with an intention to facilitate competitive rivalry between the houses. With an aim to reform the way Wolmerians respond to sports day and competitions, it is intended to bring hype and build anticipation for the days leading to the event. It is also to build school spirit for other proposed activities throughout the term. During House Week scheduled for January 13 - 20, there will be a range of activities for students to participate and spectate.
To ensure all houses participate, each house will receive 10 points for entering and participating. For each competition the winning house will receive 40 points while second and third place receive 30 and 25 points respectively.
ACTIVITIES
The activities throughout the week include:
- Inter-House Football – Please refer to the match sheet
- Inter-House Quiz – lower and upper school divisions
- House Vibes/Lyric Freestyle Competition – Upper School Only Event Colour Fest (House Colours Day)
Members of the Wolmer's Boys' School Class of 1982 recently gave back to their alma mater with a donation of $1 million to the school’s science department.
STAKEHOLDERS' BULLETIN - Bulletin 16/2021
STAKEHOLDERS' BULLETIN - Bulletin 16/2021
ANNOUNCING THE AY 2021 / 2022WBS STUDENT CABINET
ANNOUNCING THE AY 2021 / 2022WBS STUDENT CABINET
Dear Wolmer’s Family:
The most august of our student leadership bodies within the school, providing for accelerated development of our young men as leaders, is the Prefecture led by the Cabinet.
The Prefecture at WBS
“Wolmer’s Boys’ School has long maintained a vibrant system of student leadership with The Cabinet at the centre of this configuration. The Cabinet is comprised of the senior prefects with the Head Boy and two Deputies as the primary leaders.
“The Cabinet is selected through a rigorous process that involves the outgoing cabinet, teachers and the senior leadership of the school. Nominations are done and the list narrowed through secret ballot. But even
after that process, a series of confirmation hearings are done by the senior leadership prior to the announcement of the primary leadership of The Cabinet. Thereafter, senior prefects will be selected
contingent upon the following criteria:
- A proven track record of responsible conduct, especially over the Lower Sixth Form year.
- A clear demonstration of leadership among peers and the general school population.
- A demonstrated willingness to add value to the rich legacy of the school.
- Academic performance that meets the matriculation requirements for the Upper Sixth Form level.
Prefects are also empowered to cite students for uniform and corridor violations, loitering, littering and dining in an undesignated area. TWO of such citations within a week will be treated as an official detention and be placed on the student’s report” (p. 34).
It is the sheer pleasure of the Senior Management Team to announce to the community, the senior student leadership team – The Cabinet - for AY2021/2022.
