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Since the start of the New Year, there have been a series of changes occurring at Titchfield High School.

One could just remember the thrilling visit from Smile Jamaica™, the early morning talk show. The crew was enthusiastically at work setting up live broadcast at 8:00am that morning. The Mayor and other guests such as Mark McIntosh from the AIC were there. Hosts Simon Crosskill and Neville Bell were also there, who were, at intervals of the broad cast, holding conversations with students.

This was followed by School’s Challenge Quiz. The 12-13 team made it to the third round. In the first round they played Belair and won 57-32; in the second round they played Dinthill Technical and won 37-1; but in the third round they played Calabar and lost 12-26.

Students were fired up for annual Sports Day. The field events were held at the school and the track events were held at Carder Park. The results were in and Grosset House snapped up first place, Plant House took second place, Brown House took third place, Sherlock’s House was placed fourth, Geddes was placed fifth and Chin’s House was placed sixth. Currently, house competitions are still in progress as each house competes in football and netball. Also, Dacosta Cup auditions are taking place as they plan to start training early this year.

It came as a shock to most of us that Mr. Davis, teacher of Physics, had suffered a Heart Attack. He was hospitalized and later

transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital for further tests. He has recovered remarkably and can now be seen on a regular basis.

The school has been keeping a close eye on the performance of the students in both academics and extra- curricular activities. An Awardees’ Luncheon was put on by TOSA for those who had done well academically and in extra- curricular activities.

Safety First!™ was the idea for Earthquake Awareness Week in March. A representative from the Office of Disaster, Preparedness, and Emergency Management spoke to the General Assembly about the precautionary measures and steps to be taken in the case of an earthquake. They introduced the signal which was a bell which when rung three long times meant that the students were to form queues and go onto the playing field where they would be checked-off by form teachers for any missing persons. The actual drill caught us by surprise. We followed instructions, which indicate that in the real event we would have been safe. The simulation included the rescue of injured persons who were tended to by the fire brigade and medical personnel. They were whisked off to the Port Antonio hospital. Members of the drama club assisted.

Our deepest sympathies still go out to the family of the late Mrs. Ivy Dorothy McKenzie. She was born on April 24, 1950 and died on April 14, 2008. Some of us are still emotionally scarred from the announcement of her death. A memorial service was held at the school on April 24, 2008. A shrine was set up before the Prep room for all to see the precious memories expressed through poems, pictures, gifts such as candles and sympathy cards. She was a counselor, a confidante, a disciplinarian, a mentor, a friend and much more. She was laid to rest on the 27th of April, 2008.

The exam feeling has now filled the air, as the eleven to thirteen graders are preparing for CXC and CAPE. The rest of the students however, are preparing for their end of year exams in June. The teaching staff has had an addition of new teachers and returning teachers who were on leave.

The School has recently had its annual Math competition which was held in the Math Room. Students from various grades participated. Nicholas Williams, an 11th Grader tied with a student from Camperdown High. The competi-tion was held late March to early April.

Port Antonio Rotary Club donated resources to the school. These resources included Science Apparatus, Charts and models. They were put on display in the Biology Lab.

The JCDC Festival was held recently in which our school™s choir entered. They performed 19 pieces and 18 of the 19 pieces successfully got through to the finals, winning 6 gold medals. The drama club also entered. They submitted three pieces, two of which got through to the finals.

The Science quiz kicked off recently in Kingston. Our 7-9 team made it to the finals but lost their match against Holy Childhood and were placed second. The 10-11 team made it to the semi-finals but lost their match to Camperdown High. The 12-13 team made it to the finals but lost to Camperdown High, 28-23.

Big Things are always Poppin™ at Titchfield High School, The Greatest!™