Kingston College (KC) continued its week of centenary activities on Tuesday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the graves of Bishop Percival Gibson and Douglas Forrest, the school’s first and second principals, respectively, at St Andrew Parish Church cemetery.

Gibson, who served as Bishop of Jamaica from 1955 to 1967, was principal of the school for 30 years, starting in 1924. He died on April 3, 1970 at age 76.

Forrest, who started teaching at KC in 1926, became headmaster in 1956 and served until his retirement in 1970, but still continued teaching at KC until 1991.

He died in 1995.

The 100th anniversary celebrations will continue today with the unveiling of the KC Centenary Commemorative Stamp Collection at St Augustine’s Chapel on the school’s North Street campus at 10:00 am.

That will be followed this evening by the Centenary Purple Tie Gala Awards Banquet at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

KC, which was founded April 16, 1925, officially launched its centenary celebrations on November 30, 2023, announcing plans to construct a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art auditorium and a drive to raise $1 billion that will be used to build that facility and fund other legacy projects.

The centenary festivities are being held under the theme ‘Kingston College: 100 years never yielding’, playing on the school’s motto — Fortis cadere cedere non potest, which translates in English to: “The brave may fall but never yield.”