It was a day of pride and joy at Naggo Head Primary School as past students who had gone on to represent Jamaica in various sports were honoured for their achievements.

The school, located in Portmore, St Catherine, has a rich history of producing talented athletes who have excelled at the national and international levels. On Wednesday, the school’s administration and alumni association came together to recognise the contributions of some of its most accomplished past students.

Among those were honoured were Shaneil Buckley, Jamaica football player who represented the country at the Under-17, Under-20, and senior levels; Kirk McKenzie, Jamaica and West Indies cricketer; Shadae Lawrence, 2020 discus Olympic finalist; Tyler Mason, 2014 World Junior Championship silver medallist; Alana Reid, 2024 gold medallist at the World Youth Athletics Championships; Shardia Lawrence, NCAA triple jump champion; and Rasheed Broadbell, Commonwealth Games 110m hurdle champion.

According to School, the decision to honour the school’s past students was a deliberate one.

“My coaches and I have been talking about this venture for some time, and for this year I thought it was ideal for us to honour our past students who are representing at the national level,” Naggo Head Primary Principal Andria Givans told the Jamaica Observer.

“Just to let them know how much we have been tracking their progress and how much we acknowledge their greatness. And the fact that we are also a part of Region 6, which goes by the tagline ‘the region that inspires greatness,’ and so here we are today, and we are really proud that some of our past students were able to come and be a part of this function and to know that they are acknowledged,” she added.

Givans noted that the school plans to maintain contact with its past students and continue to acknowledge their achievements.

“This is where they have started as young athletes and they have grown to the level where they are representing country and region and we are extremely proud of them. We are not putting up their pictures on the wall, we are ensuring that we maintain contact, and we will be adding other athletes who have represented at the national level because we at Naggo Head Primary acknowledge when our students are well-rounded, especially in the area of sports. Jamaica is known to be a country great in sports, and so we want to continue with this line of excellence here at Naggo Head Primary,” the principal said.

Lawrence, who attended the ceremony, credited Naggo Head Primary with discovering her athletic talent, revealing that she only attended the school because her twin sister was recruited by the coach.

“It was initially the coach here at the time recruiting my sister. We are twins and how my mom works, if you are going to one, you have to take the other and so that’s how both of us came here at Naggo Head Primary.” she said.

“This move changed my life. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had stayed [at the Gregory Park Primary School] where I was before coming to Naggo Head. I think it was just faith and God. It was at Naggo Head Primary where our journey in athletics really began,” Lawrence said.

Mason expressed his gratitude and honour to be recognised at Naggo Head Primary.

“It is a pleasure to be here and I am really honoured to be here. What they are doing is very good. This is where I learned to hurdle and so it has been a big inspiration for me in terms of finding my craft and going on to other international championships and achievements,” Mason said.

— Ruddy Allen