Dear Editor,

I write this in firm opposition to the proposal of a name change now before the Ministry of Education for Denbigh High School to be renamed the Michael Henry High School, not only as a Denbigh alumnus but a resident of the parish of Clarendon.

In situations such as this, where a name is not just a pronoun of a physical location with a set of buildings, desk and chairs, but a link to a common heritage that invokes “aqua” pride among those who were lucky enough to be embraced by Denbigh’s style of nurturing one’s calling into a career — as the motto states, ‘Learning for Living’.

This pride is cemented in its elder alumni, who understand the stigma formerly attached to the school’s name and its jagged past as Denbigh Comprehensive. At the time of my acceptance into Denbigh — as a transfer student who had been placed at Jamaica College — like most non-traditional high schools, Denbigh was associated with the negative societal stereotypes. I was upset at the thought of attending such a school after graduating from an established preparatory in the parish. Now I have no regrets. And this is not just my story, it has been replicated more than a thousand times over.

No school is perfect. Denbigh has its share of imperfections and will have its black sheep among those it shepherds. But it has come a mighty long way under the supervision of stalwarts from former Principal Joan Wint to custodian emeritus Moses and all the staff, from administrative to ancillary.

Denbigh has reached its rightful place at the top, surpassing many traditional high schools in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination passes without cutting corners by refusing to have student sit exams.

We are at a flashpoint in the school’s history, and abandoning the name at such point will only serve to disenfranchise many who felt they have a hand in building the school at the foot of the hill.

Mike Henry deserves more

On behalf of the Denbigh alumni, we are ever grateful for the exceptional contributions of the long-serving Member of Parliament for Clarendon Central Mike Henry to Denbigh High, the township of May Pen and the wider Parish of Clarendon. However, a more fitting award is advisable, as there are many unnamed structures in the immediate township, including the square and the bridge. One would think that placing Mike Henry’s name on road infrastructure would be more appropriate for a visionary advocate for Jamaica’s transportation sector.

Mario Boothe

m.raphael.b@gmail.com